Endovascular Management of A Symptomatic Giant Hepatic Artery Aneurysm.

Hepatic artery aneurysms (HAAs) are an uncommon clinical condition. Ruptured hepatic artery aneurysm carries a high incidence of mortality. Traditionally, they are treated with open surgical resection; however, endovascular aneurysm exclusion is an alternative option to open repair in select patients who have suitable anatomy. Here, we present a case of a giant hepatic artery aneurysm treated with a covered stent placement.

Inferior vena cava perforation during percutaneous filter removal.

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous Inferior Venacava (IVC) filter retrieval can be challenging when the filter is grossly angulated, embedded in the wall or penetrates through the IVC. When conventional filter removal technique fails, the use of advanced retrieval techniques often improves the chances of percutaneous filter retrieval. These techniques, however, are associated with a high rate of complications. METHODS: We report a case of 26-year-old female who had IVC filter placed on postpartum day 4. Attempted percutaneous filter retrieval 3 weeks later with loop snare technique and endobronchial forceps assisted filter removal technique resulted in gross filter deformity, malposition, and IVC perforation. RESULT: Open IVC filter removal was performed with midline laparotomy and cavotomy with lateral venorrhapy. The deformed filter along with adherent thrombus was completely removed. The patient had an uneventful recovery with no immediate or long-term complications. CONCLUSION: Use of advanced endovascular IVC filter retrieval techniques could result in serious complications like filter fracture, migration and IVC perforation. Since excessive tilt of the filter at the time of placement often results in difficult retrieval, it is important to ensure proper deployment of the filter with minimal tilt. If encountered with excessively tilted or embedded filter, one should refrain from excessive manipulation of the filter and consider open filter removal.

Endovascular Repair of Transected Axillary Artery via Snare Assisted Through and Through Femoral to Brachial Artery Access.

Axillary artery injury is a rare but complex surgical problem that often requires challenging exposures, lengthy operations, and morbid outcomes for repair. For these reasons, endovascular repair is an attractive alternative as it obviates many of the challenges present with open repair. While pseudoaneurysms, dissections, and short segment injuries with limited arterial disruption are regularly treated endovascularly, complete arterial transections are almost exclusively treated with open repair as obtaining wire access across the site of injury is often not possible. Here we report a case of successful endovascular repair of a completely transected axillary artery with the use of snare assistance to obtain through and through femoral to brachial artery access. This ultimately allowed for covered stent deployment across the axillary transection restoring distal blood flow. Snare assistance in obtaining through and through access across areas of complete transection can allow for increased use of endovascular repair.

Vagal Nerve Stimulator Placement by a Vascular Surgeon.

BACKGROUND: Refractory seizure activity represents a difficult problem for both patients and practitioners. Implantation of the vagal nerve stimulator has been posited as an effective treatment for refractory seizure activity. These devices are inserted by placing leads into the carotid sheath along the vagus nerve. We evaluated a vascular surgeon's experience placing vagal nerve stimulators. METHODS: We examined all patients treated with placement of vagal nerve stimulator by a single surgeon from October 2016 to October 2018. Data collected included demographics, medical and surgical history, intraoperative variables, and complications. RESULTS: Thirty-four patients underwent placement of a vagal nerve stimulator. About 29.4% had a previous vagal nerve stimulator placed on the ipsilateral side. Intraoperative bradycardia was seen in 1 patient. Postoperative complications were identified in 5 patients, all of which were transient dysphagia or changes in voice quality which did not require intervention. There was no significant difference between patients with the previous operation and those without for developing postoperative complications (P = .138). Average blood loss was higher in patients who had undergone previous stimulator placement than those who had not (P = .0223), and the operative time was longer (P ≤ .0001). DISCUSSION: Given the anatomical location of placement, vascular surgeons may be called upon to place these devices. In our single surgeon series, we found that the placement was safe, with minimal complications. Intraoperatively, this case appears to be more difficult (with higher blood loss and longer operative time) in patients who have had previous device placement, but this does not appear to lead to increased complications.

Identifying factors influencing delays in breast cancer treatment in Kentucky following the 2014 Medicaid expansion.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A previous analysis of breast cancer care after the 2014 Medicaid expansion in Kentucky demonstrated delays in treatment despite a 12% increase in insurance coverage. This study sought to identify factors associated with treatment delays to better focus efforts for improved breast cancer care. METHODS: The Kentucky Cancer Registry was queried for adult women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer between 2010 and 2016 who underwent up-front surgery. Demographic, tumor, and treatment characteristics were assessed to identify factors independently associated with treatment delays. RESULTS: Among 6225 patients, treatment after Medicaid expansion (odds ratio [OR] = 2.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.874-2.535, P < .001), urban residence (OR = 1.362, 95% CI = 1.163-1.594, P < .001), treatment at an academic center (OR = 1.988, 95% CI = 1.610-2.455, P < .001), and breast reconstruction (OR = 3.748, 95% CI = 2.780-5.053, P < .001) were associated with delay from diagnosis to surgery. Delay in postoperative chemotherapy was associated with older age (OR = 1.155,95% CI = 1.002-1.332, P = .0469), low education level (OR = 1.324, 95% CI = 1.164-1.506, P < .001), hormone receptor positivity (OR = 1.375, 95% CI = 1.187-1.593, P < .001), and mastectomy (OR = 1.312, 95% CI = 1.138-1.513, P < .001). Delay in postoperative radiation was associated with younger age (OR = 1.376, 95% CI = 1.370-1.382, P < .001), urban residence (OR = 1.741, 95% CI = 1.732-1.751, P < .001), treatment after Medicaid expansion (OR = 2.007, 95% CI = 1.994-2.021, P < .001), early stage disease (OR = 5.661, 95% CI = 5.640-5.682, P < .001), and mastectomy (OR = 1.884, 95% CI = 1.870-1.898, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Patient, tumor, and socioeconomic factors influence the timing of breast cancer treatment. Improving timeliness of treatment will likely require improvements in outreach, education, and healthcare infrastructure.