Fourth-Year Medical Students' Perceptions of Vascular Surgery: Can We Improve the Pipeline?

BACKGROUND: Since their inception, Integrated Vascular Surgery Residency (IVSR) programs have expanded widely and attracted highly competitive medical students by offering a more focused approach to learning both open surgical and endovascular techniques. However, despite substantial modifications to the training paradigm, a shortage of vascular surgeons is still projected through 2050. We aimed to gather and analyze fourth-year medical students' knowledge and perceptions of vascular surgery (VS) to further inform strategies for recruiting future vascular surgeons. METHODS: We sent anonymous electronic questionnaires to fourth-year medical students at 7 allopathic and 3 osteopathic medical schools, with questions detailing demographics, specialty preferences, and exposure to and perceptions of VS. Descriptive statistics were obtained, and responses were compared between students applying to surgical specialties (SS) and nonsurgical specialties (NSS). RESULTS: Two hundred eleven of 1,764 (12%) participants responded (56% female). 56% reported VS exposure, most commonly during the third year. 64 (30%) planned to apply to SS. 57% of respondents reported knowledge of the management of vascular disease, and 56% understood procedures performed by vascular surgeons. Ranking the importance of factors in choosing specialties, SS selected "experiences gained during medical school rotations" (P < 0.05), "types and/or variety of treatment modalities used in this field" (P < 0.001), and "interest in the pathology or disease processes treated" (P < 0.05) as highest priorities. NSS preferred "lifestyle (work-life balance) as an attending" (P < 0.001). Only 7% of all respondents believed vascular surgeons have a good work-life balance, with a larger percentage of SS (P < 0.001) agreeing. Stratified by gender, female students rated "limited ability of childbirth during residency and/or postponement of family plans" (P < 0.05), "gender-related concerns, such as discrimination at work or unfair career possibilities" (P < 0.001), and "fear of unfair competition" (P < 0.05) as potential negative aspects of VS careers. 55% of respondents believed the IVSR makes VS more appealing. CONCLUSIONS: Medical students perceive poor quality of life and work-life balance as deterring factors to a career in VS. Opportunities exist to educate students on the pathologies treated, procedures performed, and attainable quality of life available in our field. We should also continue to develop recruitment strategies to stimulate student interest and increase early exposure in VS.

The Impact of Perioperative Morbidities, Lack of Discharge Aspirin, and Lack of Discharge Statin on Long Term Survival Following EVAR.

OBJECTIVE: Adverse perioperative events and discharge medications both have the potential to impact survival following endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR). We hypothesize that variables such as blood loss, reoperation in the same hospital admission, and lack of discharge statin/aspirin have significant effect on long term survival following EVAR. Similarly, other perioperative morbidities, are hypothesized to affect long term mortality. Quantifying the mortality effect of perioperative events and treatment emphasizes to physicians the critical nature of preoperative optimization, case planning, operative execution and postoperative patient management. METHODS: All EVAR in the Vascular Quality Initiative between 2003 and 2021 were queried. Exclusions were: ruptured/symptomatic aneurysm; concomitant renal artery or supra-renal intervention at the time of EVAR; conversion to open aneurysm repair at the time of initial operation; and undocumented mortality status at the 5 year mark postoperatively. 18,710 patients met inclusion criteria. Multivariable Cox regression time dependent analysis was performed to investigate the strength of mortality association of the exposure variables. Standard demographic variables and pre-existing major co-morbidities were included in the regression analysis to account for disproportionate, deleterious co-variables amongst those experiencing the various morbidities. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to provide survival curves for the key variables. RESULTS: Mean follow up was 5.99 years and 5-year survival for included patients was 69.2%. Cox regression revealed increased long term mortality to be associated with the following perioperative events: reoperation during the index hospital admission (HR 1.21, P = .034), perioperative leg ischemia (HR 1.34, P = .014), perioperative acute renal insufficiency (HR 1.24, P = .013), perioperative myocardial infarction (HR 1.87, P < .001), perioperative intestinal ischemia (HR 2.13, P < .001), perioperative respiratory failure (HR 2.15, P < .001), lack of discharge aspirin (HR 1.26, P < .001), and lack of discharge statin (HR 1.26, P < .001). The following pre-existing co-morbidities correlated with increased long term mortality (P < .001 for all) : body mass index under 20 kg/m2, hypertension, diabetes, coronary artery disease, reported history congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, peripheral artery disease, advancing age, baseline renal insufficiency and left ventricular ejection fraction less than 50%. Females were more likely to have EBL >300 mL, reoperation, perioperative MI, limb ischemia and acute renal insufficiency than males (P < .01 for all). Female sex trended but was not associated with increased long term mortality risk (HR 1.06, 95% CI .995-1.14, P = .072). CONCLUSIONS: Survival after EVAR is improved with optimal operative planning to facilitate evading the need for reoperation and ensuring patients without contra-indication are discharged with aspirin and statin medications. Females and patients with pre-existing co-morbidity are at particularly higher risk for perioperative limb ischemia, renal insufficiency, intestinal ischemia and myocardial ischemia necessitating appropriate preparation and preventative measures.

A rare case of angioinvasive aspergillosis aortic graft infection causing peripheral thromboembolism.

Angioinvasive aspergillosis is a fungal infection that rarely involves vascular grafts. This case illustrates a patient with a history of aortic arch Dacron graft reconstruction presenting with acute bilateral lower extremity ischemia. The patient underwent emergent open thromboembolectomy. The intraluminal contents had an atypical appearance for thromboembolism, and histologic examination was consistent with aspergillosis. Cardiac computed tomography and transesophageal echocardiography showed an aortic arch graft vegetation. Aortic graft excision and reconstruction were performed for control of the fungal source. Investigation into the etiology of thromboembolism should include consideration for septic emboli in patients with indwelling vascular grafts. When suspected, graft excision should be considered for definitive management.

Modifiable risk factors for occurrence of ipsilateral ischemic events after carotid endarterectomy beyond perioperative period.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to quantify the effects of several modifiable variables on the occurrence of stroke after the initial perioperative period for patients who had undergone carotid endarterectomy (CEA). METHODS: The primary outcome for the present study was the development of an ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) in the cerebral hemisphere ipsilateral to CEA after the initial hospitalization. All CEAs in the VQI between January 2003 and May 2022 were queried. We identified 171,816 CEAs in the database. The exclusion criteria for the study were the lack of follow-up data for >30 days, concomitant coronary artery bypass surgery, concomitant proximal or distal carotid intervention at CEA, other arterial interventions at CEA, and stroke or TIA during the initial hospital admission, leaving 126,290 patients for analysis. We used the χ2 test for statistical analysis of the outcome of ipsilateral ischemic stroke or TIA after the initial CEA hospital admission to determine the relevant variables. Age was evaluated as an ordinal variable using the Student t test. Variables with P ≤ .05 on univariable analysis were included in the multivariable Cox regression time-to-event analysis for the primary outcome. Kaplan-Meier curves were constructed of the most significant variables on Cox regression as a visual aid. RESULTS: The following variables achieved significance on Cox regression for an association with development of ipsilateral hemispheric ischemic events after the index CEA hospital admission: lack of patch placement at CEA site (hazard ratio [HR], 18.24; P < .0001), lack of antiplatelet therapy at long-term follow-up (LTFU; HR, 9.75; P < .0001), lack of statin therapy at LTFU (HR, 3.18; P < .001), lack of statin therapy at hospital discharge (HR, 1.25; P = .015), anticoagulation at LTFU (HR, 1.53; P < .001), development of >70% recurrent stenosis (HR, 2.15; P < .001), and shunt use at surgery (HR, 1.20; P = .007). Patients with patch placement at surgery and patients with confirmed antiplatelet therapy at LTFU had had 99.8% and 99.6% freedom from an ischemic event ipsilateral to the side of the CEA at LTFU, respectively. This finding is in contrast to the 5.7% and 4.7% positivity for ischemic events for those without patch placement at surgery and those not receiving antiplatelet therapy at LTFU, respectively (P < .0001 for both). CONCLUSIONS: Performance of patch angioplasty arterial closure was remarkably protective against ipsilateral cerebral ischemic events at LTFU after CEA. Discharging and maintaining patients with antiplatelet and statin medication after CEA significantly reduces the incidence of future ipsilateral ischemic events. Thus, a significant opportunity exists for enhanced outcomes with improved implementation of these measures.

Racial Disparities in the Risk for Thromboembolic Events in COVID-19 Patients during the Height of the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic and Impact on Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: The primary objective of this study is to assess the risk of thromboembolic events (TEs) in hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and study the impact of TEs on hospital course and mortality risk during the initial height of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 pandemic. METHODS: A retrospective review of all adult inpatients (≥ 18 years old) with COVID-19 infection at a single academic institution from March 15, 2020 to July 1, 2020 was performed. Collected data included patient demographics, comorbidities, hospital admission type, TEs, laboratory values, use of anticoagulants/antiplatelet agents, hospital length of stay, and in-hospital mortality. A logistic regression was used to estimate associations between risk factors and TEs. RESULTS: A total of 826 inpatients with COVID-19 were identified. Of these, 56% were male, average age was 60.9 years, and race/ethnicity was reported as Hispanic in 51%, non-Hispanic Black in 25%, and non-Hispanic White in 18%. A total of 98 TEs were documented in 87 patients (10.5%). Hypertension, coronary artery disease, and chronic limb threatening ischemia were associated with an increased incidence of thromboembolism (P < 0.05). Hispanic patients had higher incidence of thromboembolism compared to White non-Hispanic patients (odds ratio {[OR] confidence interval [CI]}: 2.237 [1.053, 4.754], P = 0.036). As D-dimer increased, the odds of TE increased by 5.2% (OR [CI]: 1.052 [1.027, 1.077], P < 0.001). Patients with TEs had longer hospital stay (median 13 vs. 6 days, P < 0.001), higher likelihood of intensive care unit admission (63% vs. 33%, P < 0.001), and higher in-hospital mortality (28% vs. 16%, P = 0.006). Arterial TEs were associated with higher in-hospital mortality than venous TEs (37% vs. 15%, P = 0.027). CONCLUSIONS: During the initial height of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 pandemic, TEs were relatively frequent in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Racial disparities were seen with an increased proportion of minority patients admitted with respect to percentages seen in the general population. There was also a significantly increased incidence of TEs in Hispanic patients. TEs were associated with significantly longer hospital stay and higher in-hospital mortality. Patients with arterial TEs fared worse with significantly higher mortality than those with venous events. Inconsistencies in anticoagulation management early in the pandemic may have contributed to poor outcomes and more contemporary management outcomes need to be investigated.