Evaluation of metabolic equivalents of task (METs) in the preoperative assessment in aortic repair.

BACKGROUND: Reliable prediction of the preoperative risk is of crucial importance for patients undergoing aortic repair. In this retrospective cohort study, we evaluated the metabolic equivalent of task (MET) in the preoperative risk assessment with clinical outcome in a cohort of consecutive patients. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data in a single center unit of 296 patients undergoing open or endovascular aortic repair from 2009 to 2016. The patients were divided into four anatomic main groups (infrarenal (endo: n = 94; open: n = 88), juxta- and para-renal (open n = 84), thoraco-abdominal (open n = 13) and thoracic (endo: n = 11; open: n = 6). Out of these, 276 patients had a preoperative statement of their functional capacity in metabolic units and were evaluated concerning their postoperative outcome including survival, in-hospital mortality, postoperative complications, myocardial infarction and stroke, and the need of later cardiovascular interventions. RESULTS: The median follow-up of the cohort was 10.8 months. Patients with < 4MET had a higher incidence of diabetes mellitus (p = 0.0002), peripheral arterial disease (p < 0.0001), history of smoking (p = 0.003), obesity (p = 0.03) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (p = 0.05). Overall in-hospital mortality was 4.4% (13 patients). There was no significant difference in the survival between patients with a functional capacity of more than 4 MET (220 patients, mean survival: 74.5 months) and patients with less than 4 MET (56 patients, mean survival: 65.4 months) (p = 0.64). The mean survival of the infrarenal cohort (n = 169) was 74.3 months with no significant differences between both MET groups (> 4 MET: 131 patients, mean survival 75.5 months; < 4 MET: 38 patients, mean survival 63.6 months. p = 0.35). The subgroup after open surgical technique with less than 4 MET had the lowest mean survival of 38.8 months. In 46 patients with > 4MET (20.9%) perioperative complications occurred compared to the group with < 4MET with 18 patients (32.1%) (p = 0.075). There were no significant differences in both groups in the late cardiovascular interventions (p = 0.91) and major events including stroke and myocardial infarction (p = 0.4) monitored during the follow up period. The risk to miss a potential need for cardiac optimization in patients > 4MET was 7%. CONCLUSION: The functional preoperative evaluation by MET in patients undergoing aortic surgery is a useful surrogate marker of perioperative performance but cannot be seen as a substitute for preoperative cardiopulmonary testing in selected individuals. Trial registration clinicaltrials.gov, registration number NCT03617601 (retrospectively registered).

Interdisciplinary approach in emergency revascularization and treatment for acute mesenteric ischemia.

BACKGROUND: Mesenteric ischemia is associated with poor outcome and high overall mortality. The aim was to analyze an interdisciplinary treatment approach of vascular and visceral specialists focusing on the in-hospital outcome and follow-up in patients with acute and acute-on-chronic mesenteric ischemia. METHODS: From 2010 until 2017, 26 consecutive patients with acute or acute on chronic mesenteric ischemia were treated by an interdisciplinary team. Data were prospectively collected and retrospectively evaluated. Throughout the initial examination, the extent of bowel resection was determined by the visceral surgeon and the appropriate mode of revascularization by the vascular surgeon. The routine follow-up included clinical examination and ultrasound- or CT-imaging for patency assessment and overall survival as primary endpoint of the study. RESULTS: Out of 26 patients, 18 (69.2%) were rendered for open repair. Ten patients (38.5%) received reconstruction of the superior mesenteric artery with an iliac-mesenteric bypass. Seven patients (26.9%) underwent thrombembolectomy of the mesenteric artery. One patient received an infra-diaphragmatic aorto-celiac-mesenteric bypass. Out of the 8 patients, who were not suitable for open revascularization, 2 patients (7.7%) were treated endovascularly and 6 (23.1%) underwent explorative laparotomy. The in-hospital mortality was 23% (n = 6). The mean survival of the revascularized group (n = 20) was 51.8 months (95% CI 39.1-64.5) compared to 15.7 months in the non-revascularized group (n = 6) (95% CI - 4.8-36.1; p = 0.08). The median follow-up was 64.6 months. Primary patency in the 16 patients after open and 2 after interventional revascularization was 100% and 89.9% in the follow-up. CONCLUSION: The interdisciplinary treatment of mesenteric ischemia improves survival if carried out in time. Hereby open revascularization measures are advantageous as they allow bowel assessment, resection, and revascularization in a one-stop fashion especially in advanced cases.

Acute peripheral ischemia in healthy female patient: an indirect and unanticipated diagnosis of spontaneous thrombus in the aortic arch.

BACKGROUND: In this case we discuss the management of a pediculated floating thrombus in the aortic arch which led to peripheral embolization and acute ischemia oft he left leg. CASE PRESENTATION: A healthy 46 year old female patient presented with pain in her left leg and progressive numbness. Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA) showed an acute ischemia of the left leg (Rutherford 2 B) with a 2 cm thrombus distal of the aortic bifurcation. Emergency operation with embolectomy, selective thrombembolectomy and patch plasty on the tibioperoneal trunk and local lysis was performed. As part of a further diagnostic examination a thoracic CT scan has been performed revealing a pediculated-floating 2 cm thrombus in the aortic arch. Four days after the initial operation thrombus excision via a minimally invasive access way has been performed. After initiation of the extracorporeal circulation, selective unilateral antegrade cerebral perfusion has been established in mild (30-32 °C) systemic hypothermia. Patients postoperative course was uneventful. Histological evaluation of the mass demonstrated thrombotic material without evidence of infection or malignacy. CONCLUSION: A pediculated spontaneous thrombus may develop in aortic arch in patients without traditional risk factors or family history of embolic events. Two stage operation was feasible and safe.

Intraoperatively self-made bovine pericardial graft for portomesenteric reconstruction in pancreatic surgery.

PURPOSE: Vascular encasement or infiltration of the portomesenteric veins can compromise resectability and local tumour control in pancreatic resections. So far, there is no consensus on how vascular reconstruction should be performed. Bovine pericardium has shown promising results, particularly in infected arterial vascular reconstructions. The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and technical success of portomesenteric venous vascular reconstruction using bovine pericardium in pancreatic resections. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of portomesenteric reconstruction using bovine pericardium (patches, self-made tube grafts) in pancreatic resections between 2014 and 2019. The primary endpoint examined was the technical success rate and short-term patency of vascular reconstruction. In addition to clinical surveillance and laboratory routine testing, patency was tested with duplex scans (4 h postoperatively) and computed tomography imaging in case of an abnormal clinical course and as part of the oncological follow-up. RESULTS: In 15 surgical procedures (pancreaticoduodenectomy (12, 80%), pancreatic left resection (3, 20%)), vascular reconstruction was performed with superior mesenteric vein (6/15), portal vein (7/15) and the junction between superior mesenteric and splenic vein (2/15). Eighty percent of the reconstructions were tube grafts (12/15), and the remaining were patch plasties. In 13/15 (87%) of the cases, the vascular reconstruction was patent; in 2/15 (13%), there was one stenosis without reintervention need and one graft failure with complete thrombosis. Out of 15 patients, 4 major complications according to Clavien-Dindo classification (IIIa n = 2, 13%; IIIb n = 1, 7%; V n = 1, 7%) were documented. Latest re-imaging after surgery among the 10 patients with imaging follow-up more than 1 month postoperatively was after 6.5 months ((median, interquartile range 4-12 months), and clinical follow-up was at 6.7 months (median, 3.3-13 months)). CONCLUSION: Due to its off-the-shelf availability, portomesenteric reconstruction using bovine pericardium seems to be a feasible and safe method in pancreatic resection with vascular encasement. Xenopericardial grafts can be crafted to any size and are applicable in potentially infected environment.

Anomaly of Haughton type D left cervical aortic arch in combination with type B dissection: case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: The anomaly of cervical aortic arch is a rare phenomenon first described by Reid in 1914 and categorized by Haughton in 1975. The left cervical aortic arch Type D consisting of an ipsilateral descending aorta and coarctation or aneurysmatic formation of the arch demonstrates a complicated form requiring surgical management. Because of its rarity and unspecific symptoms only few cases are documented with the focus on surgical management. CASE PRESENTATION: A 43-year old, asymptomatic woman presented with a mediastinal mass overlapping the aortic arch region in a routine x-ray. For verification, a computed tomography was performed and revealed incidentally a type B dissection originating from an aneurysm of a left cervical arch with a maximum diameter of 6 cm. Because of the huge diameter and the potential risk of rupture, an urgent surgical repair was planned. Surgical access was performed through median sternotomy and an additional left lateral thoracic incision through the fourth intercostal space. Simultaneously to the preparation, partial cardiopulmonary bypass was installed in the left groin. After preparation of the recurrent and phrenic nerve and the supraaortic branches, the descending aorta was clamped. Before the distal anastomosis to a straight graft, we performed a fenestration of the dissection membrane about a length of 5 cm to preserve the perfusion of both lumina. Then, the straight graft was sutured to the proximal part of descending aorta. The left axillary artery originated directly from the aneurysm and was dissected and reimplanted with a separate 8 mm sidegraft to the straight graft between the distal arch and proximal descending aorta. The patient was extubated on first postoperative day and recovered well. CONCLUSION: The left cervical aortic arch type D is a rare disease, which is prone to aneurysm formation due to abnormal flow patterns and tortuosity of the aorta. The difficulty lays in the identification of the pathology, especially in the physical examination, since a pulsating mass or cervical murmur seem to be the most specific symptoms in the majority of young, female patients. If diagnosed, surgical therapy with resection of the aneurysm and reimplantation of the axillary artery under cardiopulmonary bypass demonstrates the treatment of choice.

Off-label use of thoracic aortic endovascular stent grafts to simplify difficult resections and procedures in general thoracic surgery.

OBJECTIVES: Tumour infiltration, or gross infectious involvement of the thoracic aortic wall, poses a significant intraoperative risk for fatal bleeding and therefore could compromise adequate resection or efficient surgical management of pleural infection in a considerable amount of cases. We present 3 successful cases of off-label thoracic aortic endografting to safeguard thoracic aortic wall integrity. METHODS: After all patients received thoracic stent grafts through femoral access into the descending aorta, the first patient underwent a resection of a locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the left inferior lobe cT4cN0-1cM0 after neoadjuvant chemoradiation, which had infiltrated the descending aortic wall. The second case was video-assisted thoracoscopic bilateral pleural decortication for empyema with aortic ulcers of the distal thoracic aorta in a patient with pancreatic intrathoracic fistula in a necrotizing pancreatitis. The third patient was operated for a locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the left inferior lobe initial stage cT4 cN1-2 cM0 after neoadjuvant chemoradiation, which had broad contact to the descending aorta at the level of thoracic vertebrae 7 and 8 on a circumference of circa 180°. Regional ethics committee approval according the Swiss Federal Human Research Act was obtained according to regulations. RESULTS: Preventive stent graft placement resulted in complication-free resection and significantly minimized the risk of fatal intraoperative bleeding. Patients were thus not exposed to complications associated with aortic cross-clamping, possible prosthetic replacement and extracorporeal circulation techniques. CONCLUSIONS: In carefully selected patient populations, the resection of locally advanced tumours or infectious processes involving the aortic wall can be facilitated by thoracic endovascular aortic repair prior to resection.

Xenopericardial self-made tube grafts in infectious vascular reconstructions: Preliminary results of an easy and ready to use surgical approach.

PURPOSE: Infections are a major setback of vascular reconstruction and associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. We evaluated retrospectively our results with self-made bovine pericardial grafts in infected vessel revascularization versus standard graft material. BASIC METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 9 patients with bovine reconstruction and 10 patients with miscellaneous grafts (vein, homograft) for vascular infections. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Infection-free rate of the pericardial group was 100% in 17 months. For patients after reconstructions with miscellaneous grafts, the infection-free rate was 82% in 45 months. Overall in-hospital mortality was 10.5%. There were no in-hospital deaths in the pericardial group. Graft patency of the whole cohort was 100%. The median follow up was 11.74 months. CONCLUSION: Self-made bovine pericardial tube grafts can be crafted to almost any size and adjusted to complex anatomic requirements. The use was feasible in various situations and was associated with good preliminary results concerning patency and reinfection.

Complications associated with the arterial puncture closure device--Angio-Seal.

BACKGROUND: Arterial puncture closure devices (APCD) are frequently used after cardiac catheterization. Here, the diagnosis and therapy of femoral artery complications after the use of the Angio-Seal APCD is reported. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The Angio-Seal APCD was deployed in 1600 patients undergoing transfemoral catheterization. RESULTS: In 7 of 1600 cases (0.4%) vascular complications occurred following Angio-Seal deployment. Diagnosis was made by duplex sonography. Intraoperative findings consisted of a complete occlusion with dissection of the femoral artery in all patients. In 6 cases, the femoral bifurcation had to be reconstructed after endarterectomy. Follow-up is complete with a mean of 6 months. CONCLUSION: The Angio-Seal device should not be used for closure of the superficial femoral artery and in patients with severe arteriosclerosis. The application of arteriography as well as the use of ultrasound-guided puncture is advisable. In all cases, surgical intervention was successful and an adequate therapy for management of complications.