Totally Percutaneous Endovascular Aneurysm Repair Using the Preclosing Technique: Towards the Least Invasive Therapeutic Alternative.

Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) offers a minimally invasive approach for the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms, whereas arterial closure devices have made totally percutaneous EVAR feasible. This is a retrospective analysis of patients undergoing EVAR in a single institution, between May 2011 and October 2014 using surgical or percutaneous access. Hemostasis after percutaneous access was achieved with 2 Perclose ProGlide suture-mediated devices and a preclosing technique. Technical success, local complications, procedural times, length of hospitalization, and need for analgesics are recorded and compared between groups. Among 82 patients/164 groins, 120/164 (73%) groins underwent percutaneous and 44/146 (27%) surgical access. An average 2.2 devices per access site was used. Technical success was 95% (114/120). Local complications (3.3% vs. 11.4%, P=0.05), procedural times (90 vs. 112 min, P=0.05), hospitalization (2 vs. 5 d, P<0.001), and postoperative analgesics (0.7 vs. 4.4 g IV paracetamol, P=0.01) were significantly reduced after percutaneous access which overall seems safe and effective to perform EVAR.

Ultra-low profile polymer-filled stent graft for abdominal aortic aneurysm treatment: a two-year follow-up.

PURPOSE: This study evaluated 2 years of follow-up of the Ovation Abdominal Stent Graft System (TriVascular Inc., Santa Rosa, CA, USA) for endovascular repair (EVAR) of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective multicentre study included 36 patients (median age, 73.6 year) with AAAs (mean diameter, 5.65 cm) treated with the Ovation stent graft and followed up for at least 2 years. Safety and effectiveness of the Ovation stent graft were evaluated. Indications for EVAR were the following: AAA ≥5 cm, neck length ≥7 mm, angulation ≤60° and diameter <30 mm; the presence of neck calcification and thrombosis was not considered a contraindication; distal iliac landing zone length of 10 mm, and diameter between 5 and 20 mm. Patients were treated under a common protocol, including clinical and imaging follow-up at discharge, 30 days, 6 months, and annually for 5 years. Adverse events, clinical and imaging data and possible re-intervention were recorded. RESULTS: The Ovation stent graft was implanted successfully in 36 patients (100 %). None of the patients required conversion to open surgery, and none presented with an aneurysm rupture. Endograft stent fracture or migration was not observed in any case. No type I, III or IV endoleaks were observed; in 12 patients (33.3 %), a type II endoleak was noted, in one case with sac enlargement but not treated due to concomitant comorbidities and the patient's decision. CONCLUSIONS: The 2-year results of the Ovation Abdominal Stent Graft System demonstrate excellent safety and effectiveness in the treatment of patients with AAAs, particularly in those with challenging anatomical characteristics.

Impact of religiosity/spirituality on biological and preclinical markers related to cardiovascular disease. Results from the SPILI III study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed at exploring to what extent psychosocial factors, such as religiosity/spirituality and sense of coherence, mediate the negative effects of stress on a variety of cardiometabolic indicators, i.e., hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, and atherosclerotic bio-clinical markers. DESIGN: A total of 220 subjects (66.2±16.0 years) of the SPILI III cohort (1988-2012) attending a primary care setting in Spili, a rural town in Crete, represented the target group for the present study. Of these, 195 (88.6%) participated in the re-examination (67.2±15.2 years). All participants underwent a standardized procedure including evaluation of anthropometric measurements, biochemical indicators of atherosclerosis, stress hormones, in parallel with ultrasound measurements of carotid intima media thickness (IMT). Religiosity, spirituality and sense of coherence were evaluated with the use of international questionnaires translated into the Greek language and linguistically validated. RESULTS: Participants with higher levels of religious and spiritual beliefs presented lower levels of carotid IMT (1.01±0.101 vs 1.53±0.502 mm, p<0.001). Patterns of inverse relationships were also observed between religiosity/spirituality and prevalence of diabetes (35.1% vs. 2%, p<0.001) with an estimated diabetes risk, fully adjusted odds ratio, 95% CI: 0.91 (0.87-0.94). Highly religious participants presented lower serum cortisol levels (12.3±5.8 vs. 18.2±5.1 µg/dl, p<0.001). Sense of coherence was positively associated with religiosity/spirituality [mean SOC (SD): 123±20 vs. 158±15) p<0.001]. CONCLUSIONS: These findings may be associated with a possible favourable effect of religiosity/spirituality on several cardio-metabolic determinants, therefore deserving further attention by healthcare practitioners and researchers.