Incisional Hernias after Vascular Surgery for Aortoiliac Aneurysm and Aortoiliac Occlusive Arterial Disease: Has Prophylactic Mesh Changed This Scenario?

BACKGROUND: Incisional hernia (IH) is an important surgical complication that has several ways of prevention, including modifications in the surgical technique of the initial procedure. Its incidence can reach 69% in high-risk patients and long-term follow-up. Of the risky procedures, open abdominal aortic aneurysmectomy is the one with the highest risk. Ways to reduce this morbid complication were suggested, and prophylactic mesh rises as an important tool to prevent recurrence. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study review of medical records of patients undergoing vascular surgery for abdominal aortoiliac aneurysm (AAA) or vascular bypass surgery due to aortoiliac occlusive disease. We identified 193 patients treated between 2010 and 2020. We further performed a one-to-nine matching analysis between the use of prophylactic mesh and control groups, based on estimated propensity scores for each patient. RESULTS: Prophylactic mesh group had a 18% lower risk of IH, compared with the control group (relative risk: 0.82; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.74-0.93). The difference in IH rates between the groups compared was 2.6% (95% CI: -19.8 to 25.5). From the perspective of the number needed to treat, it would be necessary to use prophylactic mesh in 39 (95% CI: 35-44) patients to avoid one IH in this population. CONCLUSION: Use of prophylactic mesh in the repair of AAA significantly reduces the incidence of IH in nearly one in five cases. Our data suggest that there is benefit in the use of prophylactic mesh in open aneurysmectomy surgery regarding postoperative IH development.

Adolescent blood pressure classification curves and cardiometabolic risk factors: a comparison of the Brazilian and American references.

BACKGROUND: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) adolescent blood pressure (BP) percentiles were updated in 2017, and have been used as reference in Brazil since then. However, specific BP percentiles for Brazilian adolescents were recently proposed based on data from the Study of Cardiovascular Risk in Adolescents (ERICA). OBJECTIVES: To compare the prevalence of arterial hypertension according to each reference, as well as to assess the cardiometabolic risk associated with the reclassification by Brazilian BP percentiles. METHODS: Data from 73 399 adolescents aged 12-17 years who participated in the ERICA study were analyzed. To assess cardiometabolic risk, 6185 adolescents who were reclassified upwards by the Brazilian reference were 1 : 1 matched with adolescents that were normotensive by both references and were of the same age, sex and height percentile. The parameters evaluated were: overweight/obesity, waist circumference, total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-c, HDL-c, fasting glucose, HbA1c and HOMA-ir. RESULTS: The classification according to Brazilian BP percentiles resulted in a higher prevalence of arterial hypertension (14%, 95% CI 13.2-14.8), when compared with the AAP percentiles (10.6%, 95% CI 10.0-11.2). The use of the Brazilian reference also resulted in higher prevalence of arterial hypertension in girls, teenagers ranging from 12 to 14 years, and those classified with adequate weight, overweight or obesity. In the case-control analysis, cardiometabolic risk factors were present more often in adolescents reclassified with arterial hypertension by the ERICA reference. DISCUSSION: The use of the BP percentiles proposed by ERICA is a sensitive method for tracking Brazilian adolescents with hypertension and higher cardiometabolic risk.