Regional Survey in Lombardy, Northern Italy, on Vascular Surgery Intervention Outcomes During The COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: The characteristics and outcomes of patients undergoing vascular surgery hospitalised and managed in Lombardy are described with a comparison of patients tested positive for COVID-19 (CV19-pos) vs. those tested negative (CV19-neg). METHODS: This was a multicentre, retrospective, observational cohort study which involved all vascular surgery services in Lombardy, Northern Italy. Data were retrospectively merged into a combined dataset covering the nine weeks of the Italian COVID-19 pandemic phase 1 (8 March 2020 to 3 May 2020). The primary outcome was freedom from in hospital death, secondary outcomes were re-thrombosis rate after peripheral revascularisation, and freedom from post-operative complication. RESULTS: Among 674 patients managed during the outbreak, 659 (97.8%) were included in the final analysis: 121 (18.4%) were CV19-pos. CV19-pos status was associated with a higher rate of complications (OR 4.5; p < .001, 95% CI 2.64 - 7.84), and a higher rate of re-thrombosis after peripheral arterial revascularisation (OR 2.2; p = .004, 95% CI 1.29 - 3.88). In hospital mortality was higher in CV19-pos patients (24.8% vs. 5.6%; OR 5.4, p < .001;95% CI 2.86 - 8.92). Binary logistic regression analysis identified CV19-pos status (OR 7.6; p < .001, 95% CI 3.75 - 15.28) and age > 80 years (OR 3.2; p = .001, 95% CI 1.61 - 6.57) to be predictors of in hospital death. CONCLUSION: In this experience of the vascular surgery group of Lombardy, COVID-19 infection was a marker of poor outcomes in terms of mortality and post-operative complications for patients undergoing vascular surgery treatments.

Hybrid arteriovenous graft for hemodialysis vascular access in a multicenter registry.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to identify patients' characteristics that predicted a higher chance of arteriovenous graft patency in patients undergoing Gore Hybrid Vascular Graft (GHVG; W. L. Gore & Associates, Flagstaff, Ariz) implantation for hemodialysis access. The GHVG is a polytetrafluroethylene (PTFE) prosthesis with a nitinol-reinforced section (NRS) at the venous end. METHODS: All consecutive patients undergoing GHVG implantation for hemodialysis access at 10 tertiary referral centers between December 2013 and January 2018 were included in the study and compared with a control group of patients undergoing standard PTFE graft implantation. Selection of patients for hybrid graft implantation was based on the impossibility of autogenous vascular access creation. RESULTS: There were 145 patients included in the GHVG group and 218 in the PTFE group. In the GHVG and the PTFE groups, the mean age was 67 ± 13 years and 65 ± 13 years, and male patients totaled 52% and 46%, respectively. The technical success was 99%. The mean duration of the intervention was 100 minutes (median, 95 minutes; interquartile range, 80-120 minutes). The brachial-axillary configuration was used in the majority of cases (n = 78 [54%]). The 5-cm NRS length was prevalent (n = 108 [75%]). The median NRS oversize was 14% (interquartile range, 0%-21%). Mean follow-up was 13 months (range, 0-55 months). Seventy-one patients (49%) underwent at least one reintervention. Primary, assisted primary, and secondary patency estimates at 12 months were 44% ± 5%, 47% ± 5%, and 65% ± 4% for the GHVG group and 41% ± 4%, 53% ± 4%, and 75% ± 3% for the control group, respectively (P = NS). One-year survival was 90% ± 3%. On multivariable Cox regression analysis, hypotension (P < .001; hazard ratio [HR], 5.8; confidence interval [CI], 2.6-13) and diabetes (P = .024; HR, 1.9; CI, 1.1-3.2) were significant predictors of GHVG loss. A larger graft size was protective against GHVG loss (P = .042; HR, 0.73; CI, 0.54-0.99). The 10-cm-long graft showed a tendency toward improved patency but did not reach statistical significance (P = .074; HR, 0.48; CI, 0.21-1.07). CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes and hypotension were predictors of loss of hybrid arteriovenous access. Smaller diameters of NRS were more prone to thrombosis, whereas the 10-cm length seemed to perform better than the 5-cm one.

Differences in hub and spoke vascular units practice during the novel Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) outbreak in Lombardy, Italy.

BACKGROUND: To highlight differences in clinical practice among referral (hub, HH) or satellite (spoke, SH) hospital vascular surgery units (VSUs) in Lombardy, during the COVID-19 pandemic "phase 1" period (March 8 - May 3, 2020). METHODS: The Vascular Surgery Group of Regione Lombardia Register, a real-word, multicenter, retrospective register was interrogated. All patients admitted with vascular disease were included. Patients' data on demographics, COVID-19 positivity, comorbidities and outcomes were extrapolated. Two cohorts were obtained: patients admitted to HH or SH. Primary endpoint was 30-day mortality rate. Secondary outcomes were 30-day complications and amputation (in case of peripheral artery disease [PAD]) rates. Univariate and multivariate analysis were used to compare HH and SH groups and predictors of poor outcomes. RESULTS: During the study period, 659 vascular patients in 4 HH and 27 SH were analyzed. Among these, 321 (48.7%) were admitted to a HH. No difference in COVID-19 positive patients was described (21.7% in HH vs. 15.9% in SH; P=0.058). After 30 days from intervention, HH and SH experienced similar mortality and no-intervention-related complication rate (12.1% vs. 10.0%; P=0.427 and 10.3% vs. 8.3%; P=0.377, respectively). Conversely, in HH postoperative complications were higher (23.4% vs. 16.9%, P=0.038) and amputations in patients treated for PAD were lower (10.8% vs. 26.8%; P<0.001) than in SH. Multivariate analysis demonstrated in both cohorts COVID-19-related pneumonia as independent predictor of death and postoperative complications, while age only for death. CONCLUSIONS: HH and SH ensured stackable results in patients with vascular disease during COVID-19 "phase 1." Despite this, poor outcomes were observed in both HH and SH cohorts, due to COVID-19 infection and its related pneumonia.