Dynamics of Selected Biomarkers in Cerebrospinal Fluid During Complex Endovascular Aortic Repair - A Pilot Study.

INTRODUCTION: Ischemic spinal cord injury (SCI) is a serious complication of complex aortic repair. Prophylactic cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainage, used to decrease lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure, enables monitoring of CSF biomarkers that may aid in detecting impending SCI. We hypothesized that biomarkers, previously evaluated in traumatic SCI and brain injury, would be altered in CSF over time following complex endovascular aortic repair (cEVAR). OBJECTIVES: To examine if a chosen cohort of CSF biomarker correlates to SCI and warrants further research. METHODS: A prospective observational study on patients undergoing cEVAR with extensive aortic coverage. Vital parameters and CSF samples were collected on ten occasions during 72 hours post-surgery. A panel of ten biomarkers were analyzed (Neurofilament Light Polypeptide (NFL), Tau, Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP), Soluble Amyloid Precursos Protein (APP) α and ß, Amyloid ß 38, 40 and 42 (Aß38, 40 and 42), Chitinase-3-like protein 1 (CHI3LI or YKL-40), Heart-type fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP).). RESULTS: Nine patients (mean age 69, 7 males) were included. Median total aortic coverage was 68% [33, 98]. One patient died during the 30-day post-operative period. After an initial stable phase for the first few postoperative hours, most biomarkers showed an upward trend compared with baseline in all patients with >50% increase in value for NFL in 5/9 patients, in 7/9 patients for Tau and in 5/9 patients for GFAP. One patient developed spinal cord and supratentorial brain ischemia, confirmed with MRI. In this case, NF-L, GFAP and tau were markedly elevated compared with non-SCI patients (maximum increase compared with baseline in the SCI patient versus mean value of the maximal increase for all other patients: NF-L 367% vs 79%%, GFAP 95608% versus 3433%, tau 1020% vs 192%). CONCLUSION: This study suggests an increase in all ten studied CSF biomarkers after coverage of spinal arteries during endovascular aortic repair. However, the pilot study was not able to establish a specific correlation between spinal fluid biomarker elevation and clinical symptoms of SCI due to small sample size and event rate.

Adapting to a total endovascular approach for complex aortic aneurysm repair: Outcomes after fenestrated and branched endovascular aortic repair.

OBJECTIVE: This study reports the feasibility of adopting a total endovascular approach for the treatment of complex abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) at a European aortic center and compares the short- and midterm results against those from large and multicenter studies. METHODS: All patients treated endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) for juxta/pararenal AAAs or thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAAs), both elective and acute, as well as reoperations, from 2010 to 2015 were included. Treatment was fenestrated (FEVAR) or branched (BEVAR), and outcomes were analyzed for technical success and mortality at 30 and 90 days and by Kaplan-Meier curve estimates at 3 years. Outcomes on target vessels were reported as freedom from branch instability in the follow-up period. Reinterventions, endoleaks and perioperative and postoperative morbidities were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 71 patients were treated for juxta/pararenal AAA (n = 40) or TAAA (n = 31): 14 type II, 4 type III, and 13 type IV. There were 47 FEVAR (including 2 physician-modified fenestrated grafts) and 24 BEVAR procedures performed. Four TAAAs were ruptured. No open repairs were performed for these pathologies in this period. Mortality was 2.8% (n = 2) at 30 days and 9.9% at 90 days (n = 7). One late rupture occurred in a patient whose treatment was a technical failure. Survival at 3 years was 77.9% ± 5.6% overall, 90.9% ± 5.2% for juxta/pararenal AAAs, and 60.7% ± 10.3% for TAAAs. Graft deployment was successful in 69 of 71 patients. Revascularization was successful in 205 of 208 target vessels (98.6%): 51 of 51 superior mesenteric arteries, 27 of 27 celiac arteries, and 127 of 130 renal arteries. There were 131 fenestrated bridging stent grafts and 74 branched bridging stent grafts. Technical success was 68 of 71 (95.7%). There were nine cases of branch instability (5 BEVARs, 4 FEVARs) in five patients (7.0%). Seven vessels (5 renal arteries and 2 superior mesenteric arteries) underwent reintervention: 5 for stenoses, 1 for occlusion, and 1 for stent migration. Freedom from branch instability at 3 years was 92.7% ± 2.5% overall, 88.6% ± 6.4% for BEVAR, and 94.6% for FEVAR. CONCLUSIONS: The short- and midterm results obtained here indicate that the benefits of a total endovascular treatment for complex aortic aneurysms, as demonstrated by large and multicenter studies, can be adapted and replicated at other centers with a dedicated aortic service. This may help guide future considerations of how to refer or treat this complex patient group.

Carriage frequency, diversity and methicillin resistance of Staphylococcus aureus in Danish small ruminants.

The ecology of Staphylococcus aureus in animals has recently gained attention by the research community due to the emergence of livestock-associated methicillin-resistant strains (MRSA). We investigated carriage frequency and clonal diversity of S. aureus in 179 sheep and 17 goats in Denmark using spa typing and MLST. S. aureus was detected in 74 sheep (41%) and 11 goats (64%). The isolates belonged to 26 spa types (including six novel spa types) and 12 STs (including three novel STs). The most common lineage was ST133, which was found in 65% sheep and 55% goats. MRSA was found in three animals and two of them harboured mecC and corresponded to the same lineage (ST130, t843) previously reported in mecC-associated human MRSA infections in Denmark. The remaining MRSA isolate belonged to ST398 but its recovery in sheep could be a consequence of cross contamination due to contact with pigs. This study provides novel data about the occurrence of S. aureus in small ruminants, revealing high carriage frequency and diversity in these animals. The finding of mecC in ovine ST130 isolates suggests that sheep may be a reservoir of this new emerging MRSA clone of suspected animal origin. Inclusion of sheep in national MRSA surveillance programmes in animals is advisable in view of this finding.