The use of local anesthesia to perform lower limb revascularization in the fragile patient with critical limb ischemia.

Patients with critical limb ischemia are usually compromised, frequently making administration of general or regional anesthesia problematic. We treated 3 fragile patients presenting contraindications to undertake traditional anesthetic techniques for lower limb revascularization, in whom local anesthesia with conscious sedation was used to complete the operation. An axillo-bifemoral, a unilateral axillo-femoral and a femoro-femoral bypass were performed. Procedure was uneventful in all three cases despite the coexistence of specific surgical challenges (distal anastomosis at the profunda in two cases, redo surgery and scarred groin in the third). Surgical revascularization under local anesthesia may be considered in selected high risk patients.

Endovascular aneurysm repair with the Ovation TriVascular Stent Graft System utilizing a predominantly percutaneous approach under local anaesthesia.

OBJECTIVE: To present our experience with the Ovation Abdominal Stent Graft System (TriVascular Inc., Santa Rosa, CA) during endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) and compare results according to the type of anaesthesia. METHODS: We conducted a single-centre retrospective study including patients who underwent EVAR using the Ovation endograft between May 2011 and July 2014. Outcome was evaluated regarding pre-, peri- and immediate postoperative and follow-up measures. Overall results are reported, while additional analysis was performed to compare the outcome between groups of patients undertaking either local or regional/general anaesthesia (LA vs RGA). RESULTS: 66 patients were included. Median follow-up was 13 months (range, 1-39 months). Median age was 72 years and median abdominal aortic aneurysm diameter was 58 mm (range, 54-100 mm). Technical success was 63 (95%), while there were 2 (3%) conversions to open surgery. A total percutaneous approach was used in 50/66 (76%) cases. Overall, 9/66 (14%) subjects suffered from any kind of morbidity. Median hospitalization was 3 days (range, 1-16 days). Immediate and midterm mortality rate was 0%. No endoleak Type I, III, IV or stent migration was observed. There were 8 (13%) Type II endoleaks. Overall, additional endovascular procedures were required in 6 (9%), while surgery was performed in 4 (6%) patients. 44 (67%) patients underwent LA and 22 (23%) RGA. Differences between groups were significant for procedural time (85 vs 107 min; p < 0.001), percutaneous access (91% vs 45%; p < 0.001) and systematic complications (2.3% vs 14%; p = 0.05). CONCLUSION: EVAR with the use of the Ovation endograft shows promising short-term and midterm results regarding safety and effectiveness. Completion of the procedures under LA using a total percutaneous approach seems advantageous and may be used in routine practice. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: The Ovation Abdominal Stent Graft System is an ultra-low profile stent graft system that allows percutaneous deployment for EVAR and offers excellent overall efficacy and safety. Totally percutaneous EVAR under LA seems advantageous and may be used as a routine with this specific endograft.