Preoperative Congestive Heart Failure Is Associated with Higher 30-Day Myocardial Infarction and Pneumonia after Endovascular Repair of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.

INTRODUCTION: Preoperative congestive heart failure (CHF) is associated with higher postoperative mortality and complications in noncardiac surgery. However, postoperative outcomes for patients with preoperative CHF undergoing endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) have not been thoroughly established. This study evaluated the effect of preoperative CHF on 30-day outcomes following nonemergent intact EVAR using a large-scale national registry. METHODS: Patients who had infrarenal EVAR were identified in the ACS-NSQIP database from 2012 to 2022. A 1:5 propensity-score matching was used to match demographics, baseline characteristics, aneurysm diameter, distant aneurysm extent, anesthesia, and concomitant procedures between patients with and without preoperative CHF. Thirty-day postoperative outcomes were examined. RESULTS: 467 (2.84%) CHF patients underwent intact EVAR. Meanwhile, 15,996 non-CHF patients underwent EVAR, where 2,248 of them were matched to all CHF patients. Patients with and without preoperative CHF had comparable 30-day mortality (3.02% vs. 2.62%, p = 0.64). However, CHF patients had higher myocardial infarction (3.02% vs. 1.47%, p = 0.03), pneumonia (3.23% vs. 1.73%, p = 0.04), 30-day readmission (p = 0.01), and longer length of stay (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: While patients with and without preoperative CHF had comparable 30-day mortality rates, those with CHF faced higher risks of cardiopulmonary complications. Effective management of preoperative CHF may help prevent postoperative complications in these patients.

Development of a comorbidity index for patients undergoing abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

BACKGROUND: Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) and open surgical repair (OSR) are two modalities to treat patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Alternative to individual comorbidity adjustment, a summary comorbidity index is a weighted composite score of all comorbidities that can be used as standard metric to control for comorbidity burden in clinical studies. This study aimed to develop summary comorbidity indices for patients who underwent AAA repair. METHODS: Patients who went under EVAR or OSR were identified in National Inpatient Sample (NIS) between the last quarter of 2015 to 2020. In each group, patients were randomly sampled into experimental (2/3) and validation (1/3) groups. The weights of Elixhauser comorbidities were determined from a multivariable logistic regression and single comorbidity indices were developed for EVAR and OAR groups, respectively. RESULTS: There were 34,668 patients underwent EVAR (2.19% mortality) and 4792 underwent OSR (10.98% mortality). Both comorbidity indices had moderate discriminative power (EVAR c-statistic, 0.641; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.616-0.665; OSR c-statistic, 0.600; 95% CI, 0.563-0.630) and good calibration (EVAR Brier score, 0.021; OSR Brier score, 0.096). The indices had significantly better discriminative power (DeLong P <.001) than the Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (ECI) (EVAR c-statistic, 0.572; 95% CI, 0.546-0.597; OSR c-statistic, 0.502; 95% CI, 0.472-0.533). For internal validation, both indices had similar performance compared with individual comorbidity adjustment (EVAR DeLong P = .650; OSR DeLong P = .431). These indices demonstrated good external validation, exhibiting comparable performance to their respective validation groups (EVAR DeLong P = .891; OSR DeLong P = .757). CONCLUSIONS: ECI, the comorbidity index formulated for the general population, exhibited suboptimal performance in patients who underwent AAA repair. In response, we developed summary comorbidity indices for both EVAR and OSR for AAA repair, which were internally and externally validated. The EVAR and OSR comorbidity indices outperformed the ECI in discriminating in-hospital mortality rates. They can standardize comorbidity measurement for clinical studies in AAA repair, especially for studies with small samples such as single-institute data sources to facilitate replication and comparison of results across studies.

Comparative assessment of racial disparity in 30-day outcomes for Asian Americans undergoing carotid endarterectomy.

OBJECTIVE: Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) is an effective treatment for carotid stenosis. All previous studies on racial disparity of CEA outcomes omitted Asian Americans. This study aimed to address this gap by investigating racial disparities in 30-day outcomes following CEA among Asian Americans. METHODS: Asian American and Caucasian patients who underwent CEA were identified in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program targeted database from 2011 to 2021. Patients with age less than 18 years old were excluded. Patients with symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid stenosis were examined separately. A 1:5 propensity-score matching was used to address preoperative differences. Thirty perioperative outcomes were assessed. RESULTS: There were 380 Asian Americans (2.27%) and 13,250 Caucasians (79.18%) with symptomatic carotid stenosis who underwent CEA. Also, 289 Asian Americans (1.40%) and 18,257 Caucasians (88.14%) with asymptomatic carotid stenosis had CEA. Asian Americans undergoing CEA presented with higher comorbid burdens and more severe symptomology. Also, asymptomatic Asian Americans were more likely to undergo surgeries for mild stenosis (<50%), which is not in line with practice guidelines. After 1:5 propensity-matching, all symptomatic Asian Americans were matched to 1550 Caucasian patients, and all asymptomatic Asian Americans were matched to 1445 Caucasians; preoperative differences were addressed. Asian Americans exhibited low overall 30-day mortality (symptomatic, 1.61%; asymptomatic, 0.35%) and stroke (symptomatic, 2.26%; asymptomatic, 0.69%). All perioperative outcomes were comparable to Caucasians, with the exception that Asian Americans experienced longer operation times. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence suggested that Asian Americans with asymptomatic stenosis were underrepresented in CEA. After propensity-score matching, Asian Americans demonstrated comparable 30-day outcomes to Caucasians. These suggest that, when afforded equal access to quality health care, CEA serves as an effective treatment for carotid stenosis among Asian Americans. Therefore, efforts may be aimed at addressing health care access, potentially in the screening for asymptomatic carotid stenosis in Asian Americans. This would ensure they have equitable benefits from CEA. Nevertheless, the exact preoperative differences and long-term CEA outcomes in Asian Americans should warrant further examination in future studies.

Popliteal-Distal Bypass Affords Better Limb Salvage than Tibial Angioplasty for Chronic Limb-Threatening Ischemia.

OBJECTIVE: Chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) due to isolated tibial occlusive disease is treated by either popliteal distal bypass or tibial angioplasty, although there is limited data directly comparing efficacy and outcomes between these two treatment modalities. This study compares 30-day mortality and major adverse limb events following infrapopliteal bypass and tibial angioplasty in patients with CLTI. METHODS: Patients who underwent popliteal distal bypass for CLTI were extracted from American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program targeted lower extremity open database, whereas patient with CLTI who underwent isolated tibial angioplasty were identified in the targeted lower extremity endovascular database. Any case with more proximal angioplasty such as femoral/pop/iliac was excluded. The time interval was 2011-2022. The two groups were comparable in demographics and pre-operative comorbidities were obtained using propensity matching. Mortality, systemic complications, and major adverse limb events were measured. Multivariable logistic regression was used for data analysis. To obtain granular data on the angiographic characteristics of patients undergoing popliteal-distal bypass or tibial angioplasty, The George Washington University institutional data from 2014 to 2019 was used as supplement to the database. RESULTS: There were 1,947 and 3,423 cases identified in the bypass and endovascular groups, respectively. After propensity matching for all preoperative variables, 1,747 cases remained in each group. Although bypass was associated with higher major adverse cardiovascular events, pulmonary, renal, and wound complications, bypass had significantly better 30-day limb salvage when compared to tibial angioplasty (major amputation rate 3.32% vs. 6.12%; p<0.01). Institutional data identified 69 patients with CLTI due to isolated tibial occlusive disease; 25 (36.2%) underwent popliteal-distal bypass and 44 (63.8%) underwent tibial angioplasty. Reviewing of angiographic details revealed patients who underwent popliteal-distal bypass had better pedal targets (inframalleolar/pedal score of P0 [24.0% vs 15.9%] or P1 [68.0% vs 61.3%]) than tibial angioplasty patients (inframalleolar/pedal score of P2 [22.7% vs 8.0%]). CONCLUSION: Popliteal-distal bypass was associated with higher morbidity but better limb salvage than endovascular interventions. However, this could be explained by the association with better pedal targets in patients who underwent popliteal-tibial bypass. Prospective studies should be done comparing popliteal distal bypasses and tibial angioplasty in cases with similar pedal targets.

Systematic literature review of real-world evidence for treatments in HR+/HER2- second-line LABC/mBC after first-line treatment with CDK4/6i.

BACKGROUND: Cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) combined with endocrine therapy (ET) are currently recommended by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines and the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) guidelines as the first-line (1 L) treatment for patients with hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative, locally advanced/metastatic breast cancer (HR+/HER2- LABC/mBC). Although there are many treatment options, there is no clear standard of care for patients following 1 L CDK4/6i. Understanding the real-world effectiveness of subsequent therapies may help to identify an unmet need in this patient population. This systematic literature review qualitatively synthesized effectiveness and safety outcomes for treatments received in the real-world setting after 1 L CDK4/6i therapy in patients with HR+/ HER2- LABC/mBC. METHODS: MEDLINE®, Embase, and Cochrane were searched using the Ovid® platform for real-world evidence studies published between 2015 and 2022. Grey literature was searched to identify relevant conference abstracts published from 2019 to 2022. The review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines (PROSPERO registration: CRD42023383914). Data were qualitatively synthesized and weighted average median real-world progression-free survival (rwPFS) was calculated for NCCN/ESMO-recommended post-1 L CDK4/6i treatment regimens. RESULTS: Twenty records (9 full-text articles and 11 conference abstracts) encompassing 18 unique studies met the eligibility criteria and reported outcomes for second-line (2 L) treatments after 1 L CDK4/6i; no studies reported disaggregated outcomes in the third-line setting or beyond. Sixteen studies included NCCN/ESMO guideline-recommended treatments with the majority evaluating endocrine-based therapy; five studies on single-agent ET, six studies on mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors (mTORi) ± ET, and three studies with a mix of ET and/or mTORi. Chemotherapy outcomes were reported in 11 studies. The most assessed outcome was median rwPFS; the weighted average median rwPFS was calculated as 3.9 months (3.3-6.0 months) for single-agent ET, 3.6 months (2.5-4.9 months) for mTORi ± ET, 3.7 months for a mix of ET and/or mTORi (3.0-4.0 months), and 6.1 months (3.7-9.7 months) for chemotherapy. Very few studies reported other effectiveness outcomes and only two studies reported safety outcomes. Most studies had heterogeneity in patient- and disease-related characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: The real-world effectiveness of current 2 L treatments post-1 L CDK4/6i are suboptimal, highlighting an unmet need for this patient population.

The 5-Factor Modified Frailty Index is a Concise and Effective Predictor of 30-Day Adverse Outcomes in Carotid Endarterectomy.

INTRODUCTION: Frailty is a clinically identifiable condition characterized by heightened vulnerability. The 5-item Modified Frailty Index provides a concise calculation of frailty that has proven effective in predicting adverse perioperative outcomes across a variety of surgical disciplines. However, there is a paucity of research examining the validity of 11-item Modified Frailty Index (mFI-5) in carotid endarterectomy (CEA). This study aimed to investigate the association between mFI-5 and 30-day outcomes of CEA. METHODS: Patients underwent CEA were identified from American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program targeted database from 2012 to 2021. Patients with age<18 were excluded. Patients were stratified into four cohorts based on their mFI-5 scores: 0, 1, 2, or 3+. Multivariable logistic regression was used to compare 30-day perioperative outcomes adjusting for preoperative variables with P value<0.1. RESULTS: Compared to controls (mFI-5 = 0), patients mFI-5 = 1 had higher risk of stroke (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.333, P = 0.02), unplanned operation (aOR = 1.38, P < 0.01), and length of stay (LOS) > 7 days (aOR = 0.814, P < 0.01). Patients with mFI-5 = 2 had higher stroke (aOR = 1.719, P < 0.01), major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) (aOR = 1.315, P = 0.01), sepsis (aOR = 2.243, P = 0.01), discharge not to home (aOR = 1.200, P < 0.01), 30-day readmission (aOR = 1.405, P < 0.01). Compared with controls, patients with mFI-5≥3 had higher mortality (aOR = 1.997 P = 0.02), MACE (aOR = 1.445, P = 0.03), cardiac complications (aOR = 1.901, P < 0.01), pulmonary events (aOR = 2.196, P < 0.01), sepsis (aOR = 3.65, P < 0.01), restenosis (aOR = 2.606, P = 0.02), unplanned operation (aOR = 1.69, P < 0.01), LOS>7 days (aOR = 1.425, P < 0.01), discharge not to home (aOR = 2.127, P < 0.01), and 30-day readmission (aOR = 2.427, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The mFI-5 is associated with 30-day mortality and complications including stroke, MACE, cardiac complications, pulmonary complications, sepsis, and restenosis. Additionally, elevated mFI-5 scores correlate with an increased likelihood of unplanned operations, extended LOS, discharge to facilities other than home, and 30-day readmissions, all of which could negatively impact long-term prognosis. Therefore, mFI-5 can serve as a concise yet effective metric of frailty in patients undergoing CEA.

Development and Validation of a 30-Day Point-Scoring Risk Calculator for Open Groin Vascular Surgery: The George Washington Groin Score.

BACKGROUND: Open groin vascular surgeries are important in managing peripheral arterial diseases. Given its inherent risks and the diverse patient profiles, there is a need for risk assessment tools. This study aimed to develop a 30-d point-scoring risk calculator for patients undergoing open groin vascular surgeries. METHODS: Patients underwent open groin vascular surgery, including aortobifemoral, axillofemoral, femorofemoral, iliofemoral, femoral-popliteal, and femoral-tibial bypass as well as thromboendarterectomy, were identified in American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database from 2005 to 2021. Patients were randomly sampled into experimental (2/3) and validation (1/3) groups. The George Washington (GW) groin score, a weighted point-scoring system, was developed for 30-d mortality from multivariable regression on preoperative risk variables by Sullivan's method. GW groin score was subjected to internal and external validation. Furthermore, the effectiveness of GW groin score was evaluated in 30-d major surgical complications. RESULTS: A total of 129,424 patients were analyzed, with 86,715 allocated to experimental group and 42,709 to validation group. GW groin score is derived as follows: aortobifemoral bypass (2 points), axillofemoral bypass (1 point), age (>75 y, 2 points; 65-75 y, 1 point), disseminated cancer (2 points), emergent presentation (1 point), American Society of Anesthesiology score 4 or 5 (1 point), dialysis (1 point), and preoperative sepsis (1 point).GW groin score exhibited robust discrimination (c-statistic = 0.794, 95% CI = 0.786-0.803) and calibration (Brier score = 0.029). The transition from individual preoperative variables (c-statistic = 0.809, 95% CI = 0.801-0.818) to the point-scoring system was successful and external validation of the score was confirmed (c-statistic = 0.789, 95% CI = 0.777-0.801, Brier score = 0.030). Furthermore, GW groin score can effectively discriminate major surgical complications. CONCLUSIONS: This study developed GW groin score, a concise and comprehensive 10-point risk calculator. This well-validated score demonstrates robust discriminative and predictive abilities for 30-d mortality and major surgical complications following open groin vascular surgeries. GW groin score can anticipate potential perioperative complications and guide treatment decisions.

Does Functional Status Predict Worse 30-D Outcomes in Endovascular Repair of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms? A Propensity-Score Matched Study From ACS-NSQIP Targeted Database From 2012 to 2022.

INTRODUCTION: In patients undergoing endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR), existing studies have identified an association between dependent functional status (DFS) and poorer outcomes after EVAR. However, noted limitations, especially the lack of differentiation between ruptured and nonruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), potentially affect the extrapolation of these findings to specific patient groups. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the association between functional status and 30-d outcomes after EVAR in ruptured and nonruptured AAA patients separately. METHODS: Patients who underwent infrarenal EVAR were identified in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program targeted database from 2012-2022. Patients with DFS and those with independent functional status (IFS) were stratified into the two study cohorts. In nonruptured AAA, a 1:1 propensity-score matching was used to address demographics, baseline characteristics, aneurysm diameter, distal extent of the aneurysm, anesthesia, and concomitant procedures between patients with DFS and IFS. The sample size for ruptured patients with AAA was too small for meaningful statistical analysis so only qualitative description was provided. Thirty-d postoperative mortality and morbidities of EVAR were assessed. RESULTS: For nonruptured cases, there were 380 (2.55%) DFS and 14,545 (97.45%) patients with IFS, where 453 patients with IFS were matched to the DFS cohort. For ruptured AAA, there were 17 (6.39%) DFS and 249 (93.61%) IFS. After matching, nonruptured DFS and patients with IFS had similar 30-d mortality rates (2.37% vs 2.11%, P = 1.00). However, patients with DFS had a higher risk of bleeding requiring transfusion (18.42% vs 11.84%, P = 0.01) and longer length of stay (median 3.00 [Q1 1.00, Q3 6.00] vs median 2.00 [Q1 1.00, Q3 4.00] d, P < 0.01). All other outcomes, including major adverse cardiovascular events, cardiac complications, stroke, pulmonary complications, renal complications, sepsis, venous thromboembolism, wound complications, lower extremity ischemia, ischemic colitis, postoperative ruptured aneurysm, unplanned reoperation, 30-d readmission, were not different between patients with DFS and IFS. Qualitatively, ruptured patients with DFS had higher crude rates of 30-d mortality and morbidities compared to patients with IFS. CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to previous literature, patients with DFS with nonruptured AAA undergoing EVAR were found to have largely comparable outcomes to patients with IFS, although extra attention should be paid to postoperative bleeding.

Prophylactic muscle flaps in high-risk-for-poor-healing patients with prosthetic bypasses increases deep wound complications.

BACKGROUND: Incisional complications of groin after inflow or infrainguinal bypasses with prosthetic conduits can result in major morbidities that require reoperation, infected graft removal, and limb loss. Muscle flaps are typically performed to treat groin wound complications, but they are also done prophylactically at the time of index procedures in certain high-risk-for-poor-healing patients to mitigate anticipated groin wound complications. We used a nationwide multi-institutional database to investigate outcomes of prophylactic muscle flaps in high-risk patients who underwent prosthetic bypasses involving femoral anastomosis. METHODS: We utilized ACS-NSQIP database 2005-2021 to identify all elective inflow and infrainguinal bypasses that involve femoral anastomoses. Only high-risk patients for poor incisional healing who underwent prosthetic conduit bypasses were selected. A 1:3 propensity-matching was performed to obtain two comparable studied groups between those with (FLAP) and without prophylactic muscle flaps (NOFLAP) based on demographics and comorbidities. 30-day postoperative outcomes were compared. RESULTS: Among 35,011 NOFLAP, 990 of them were propensity-matched to 330 FLAP. There was no significant difference in 30-day mortality, MACE, pulmonary, or renal complications. FLAP was associated with higher bleeding requiring transfusion, longer operative time, and longer hospital stay. FLAP also had higher overall wound complications (15.2% vs. 10.6%; p = 0.03), especially deep incisional infection (4.9% vs. 2.4%; p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Prophylactic muscle flap for prosthetic bypasses involving femoral anastomosis in high-risk-for-poor-healing patients does not appear to mitigate 30-day wound complications. Caution should be exercised with this practice and more long-term data should be obtained to determine whether prophylactic flaps decrease the incidence of graft infection.

Locoregional versus general anesthesia in prolonged carotid endarterectomy: a propensity-score matched study from ACS-NSQIP database from 2011-2022.

BACKGROUND: Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) is an effective treatment for carotid stenosis. Previous studies yielded conflicting findings regarding postoperative outcomes after CEA when comparing those under general and locoregional anesthesia. However, these findings may be influenced by an inherent selection bias, as general anesthesia is frequently selected for more complex CEA. To counteract this selection bias, this study compared the 30-day outcomes of locoregional and general anesthesia in patients who underwent prolonged CEA. METHODS: Adult patients undergoing CEA were identified in ACS-NSQIP targeted database from 2011-2022. Only cases with prolonged operative times (over third quartile) were selected. Patients who had symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid stenosis were examined separately. A 1:3 propensity-score matching was used to address pre-operative differences between patients under locoregional and general anesthesia to assess thirty-day postoperative outcomes. Moreover, factors associated with prolonged CEA were identified by multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: Among symptomatic patients who underwent prolonged CEA, 246 and 4,286 were under locoregional and general anesthesia, respectively. In asymptomatic patients, 388 had locoregional anesthesia and 5,137 had general anesthesia. After propensity-score matching, patients under locoregional and general anesthesia had comparable 30-day mortality (symptomatic: 1.63% vs 0.81%, p=0.28; asymptomatic: 0.77% vs 0.52%, p=0.70) and stroke (symptomatic: 4.88% vs 4.34%, p=0.72; asymptomatic: 1.29% vs 1.46%, p=1.00). All other 30-day outcomes were comparable between groups, except for symptomatic patients under locoregional had shorter operation time (p<0.01) and asymptomatic patients under locoregional had lower cranial nerve injury (2.06% vs 4.90%, p=0.02). High-risk anatomical factors, male sex, younger age, and certain comorbidities were associated with prolonged operative times. CONCLUSION: Patients under both types of anesthesia had mostly comparable 30-day postoperative outcomes, including mortality and stroke, for both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. Therefore, locoregional and general anesthesia appear to be equally effective in CEA cases characterized by anticipated complexity and, consequently, prolonged operative times.

The 5-Factor Modified Frailty Index is a Succinct yet Effective Predictor of Adverse Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Open Surgery for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.

BACKGROUND: Frailty is an age-related, clinically recognizable state marked by increased susceptibility. The 5-item Modified Frailty Index (mFI-5) offers a concise assessment of frailty and has demonstrated its efficacy in various surgical fields. While the mFI-5 has been validated for endovascular aneurysm repair for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), its applicability in open surgical repair (OSR) for AAA remains largely unexplored. This study sought to evaluate the utility of mFI-5 in predicting 30-day outcomes following OSR for AAA. METHODS: Patients underwent OSR for AAA were identified in American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program-targeted database from 2012 to 2021. Patients were stratified into 3 cohorts: mFI-5 score of 0 (control), 1, and 2+. Multivariable logistic regression was used to compare 30-day perioperative outcomes between frail patients and controls adjusting preoperative variables with P value <0.1. RESULTS: Of the 5,249 patients who underwent OSR for AAA, 1,043 were controls, 2,938 had an mFI-5 score of 1 and 1,268 had an mFI-5 score of 2+. When compared to the control group, patients with an mFI-5 = 1 were more likely to have pulmonary events (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.452, P < 0.01), bleeding events (aOR = 1.33, P < 0.01), wound complications (aOR = 2.214, P < 0.01), ischemic colitis (aOR = 1.616, P = 0.01), and unplanned reoperation (aOR = 1.292, P = 0.04). Those with an mFI-5 = 2+ demonstrated higher risks of mortality (aOR = 1.709, P < 0.01), major adverse cardiovascular events (aOR = 1.347, P = 0.04), pulmonary events (aOR = 2.045, P < 0.01), renal dysfunction (aOR = 1.568, P < 0.01), sepsis (aOR = 1.587, P = 0.01), bleeding events (aOR = 1.429, P < 0.01), wound complications (aOR = 2.338, P < 0.01), ischemic colitis (aOR = 1.775, P = 0.01), unplanned reoperation (aOR = 1.445, P = 0.01), operation over 4 hours (aOR = 1.34, P < 0.01), length of stay over 7 days (aOR = 1.324, <0.01), discharge not to home (aOR = 1.547, P < 0.01), 30-day readmission (aOR = 1.657, P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The mFI-5 emerges as a succinct yet effective indicator of frailty for patients undergoing OSR for AAA. Especially, an mFI-5 score of 2+ is linked with increased 30-day mortality and complications. As such, mFI-5 can be used as a valuable screening tool for frailty in patients undergoing OSR for AAA.

Spliced-Vein Conduit Offers Better Patency and Limb Salvage Than Prosthetic Graft for Femoral-Tibial Bypasses in Critical Limb-Threatening Ischemia.

BACKGROUND: Single-segment great saphenous vein (ssGSV) is the gold standard conduit for femoral-tibial bypasses in patients with critical limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI). In the absence of a good single-segment saphenous vein, alternative options are prosthetic grafts or spliced-vein (SpV) conduits. Although SpV conduits may provide better long-term patency/limb salvage, prosthetic grafts are more often the chosen conduit due to shorter operative and presumably better immediate postoperative outcomes; nevertheless, there are little data supporting this practice. In this study, we compared 30-day outcomes between SpV and prosthetic conduits in CLTI bypass using a national registry. METHODS: CLTI patients who underwent lower extremity bypass using SpV or prosthetic conduits only were selected from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program targeted database. A 1:5 propensity score matching was conducted between SpV and prosthetic groups to address preoperative differences. Thirty-day outcomes, including primary patency, reintervention, major amputation, mortality, major morbidity, transfusion, and wound complications, were compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS: There were 886 patients who underwent femoral-tibial bypass without ssGSV (104 SpV and 782 prosthetic grafts). All SpV patients were propensity score matched to 445 prosthetic patients. SpV exhibited significantly better 30-day primary patency than prosthetic (87.5% vs 74.38%, P = 0.004). SpV was associated with significantly longer operative time (346 min vs 222 min, P < 0.001) and higher transfusion (43.3% vs 27.87%, P = 0.003), but those did not translate into higher 30-day mortality or major systemic complications. There was no difference in wound complications or 30-day limb loss. CONCLUSIONS: SpV conduit affords significantly better 30-day primary patency than prosthetic grafts without increased mortality and morbidities. Therefore, despite greater procedural complexity and longer operative time, SpV conduit should be considered when available. Future prospective studies are needed to investigate the long-term outcomes of these 2 conduits.

Association between current cigarette prices and cessation behaviors among male adult smokers: findings from 2018 to 2020 ITC Vietnam surveys.

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the impact of the tax increase in January 2019 on changes in intention to quit and the effect of cigarette prices on quit attempts and successful quitting among male cigarette smokers in Vietnam. METHODS: Data were derived from the ITC project in Vietnam, which included 1585 adult smokers at baseline (Wave 1, Aug-Oct 2018) followed up to waves 2 (Sep-Nov 2019) and 3 (Sep-Dec 2020). Generalized estimating equations regression was performed to estimate changes in the intention to quit. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the cigarette price of a cigarette pack in relation to quit attempts and successful quitting. RESULTS: The increase in cigarette tax in 2019 did not significantly increase the likelihood of the intention to quit. After the tax increase, 63.6% of participants who smoked made a quit attempt, and 27.6% successfully quit smoking in the follow-up waves. However, the price of a cigarette pack was not significantly associated with quit attempts and successful quitting. The study did not observe a significant impact of cigarette prices on quit attempts and successful quitting in all subgroups of household income. Factors associated with quit attempts included the number of cigarettes smoked and the intention to quit, while those associated with successful quitting included age, dual use of cigarettes and other tobacco products, and the intention to quit. CONCLUSION: Current cigarette prices were not associated with cessation behaviors even within the lowest household income group. Therefore, a sharp rise in cigarette tax is required to incentivize smokers to quit smoking.

Locoregional Anesthesia Has Lower Risks of Cardiac Complications Than General Anesthesia After Prolonged Endovascular Repair of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms.

OBJECTIVES: Although general anesthesia is the primary anesthesia in endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR), some studies suggest locoregional anesthesia could be a feasible alternative for eligible patients. However, most evidence was from retrospective studies and was subjected to an inherent selection bias that general anesthesia is often chosen for more complex and prolonged cases. To mitigate this selection bias, this study aimed to compare 30-day outcomes of prolonged, nonemergent, intact, infrarenal EVAR in patients undergoing locoregional or general anesthesia. In addition, risk factors associated with prolonged operative time in EVAR were identified. DESIGN: Retrospective large-scale national registry study. SETTING: American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program targeted database from 2012 to 2022. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 4,075 out of 16,438 patients (24.79%) had prolonged EVAR. Among patients with prolonged EVAR, 324 patients (7.95%) were under locoregional anesthesia. There were 3,751 patients (92.05%) under general anesthesia, and 955 of them were matched to the locoregional anesthesia cohort. INTERVENTIONS: Patients undergoing infrarenal EVAR were included. Exclusion criteria included age <18 years, emergency cases, ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, and acute intraoperative conversion to open. Only cases with prolonged operative times (>157 minutes) were selected. A 1:3 propensity-score matching was used to address demographics, baseline characteristics, aneurysm diameter, distant aneurysm extent, and concomitant procedures between patients under locoregional and general anesthesia. Thirty-day postoperative outcomes were assessed. Moreover, factors associated with prolonged EVAR were identified by multivariate logistic regression. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Except for general anesthesia contraindications, patients undergoing locoregional or general anesthesia exhibited largely similar preoperative characteristics. After propensity-score matching, patients under locoregional and general anesthesia had a lower risk of myocardial infarction (0.93% v 2.83%, p = 0.04), but comparable 30-day mortality (3.72% v 2.72%, p = 0.35) and other complications. Specific concomitant procedures, aneurysm anatomy, and comorbidities associated with prolonged EVAR were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Locoregional anesthesia can be a safe and effective alternative to general anesthesia, particularly in EVAR cases with anticipated complexity and prolonged operative times, as it offers the potential benefit of reduced cardiac complications. Risk factors associated with prolonged EVAR can aid in preoperative risk stratification and inform the decision-making process regarding anesthesia choice.

Malnutrition is associated with adverse 30-day outcomes after endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm.

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is particularly pertinent in patients undergoing vascular surgery, who frequently present with a high burden of comorbidities and advanced age that can impede nutrient absorption. While previous studies have established that vascular surgery patients with malnutrition had poorer outcomes, the impact of nutritional status in patients undergoing endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) has not yet been investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the effect of malnutrition on 30-day outcomes following non-ruptured EVAR. METHODS: Patients who had infrarenal EVAR were identified in the ACS-NSQIP targeted database from 2012-2022. Exclusion criteria included age less than 18 years, ruptured aneurysm, and emergency. Malnutrition was defined as patients with preoperative weight loss of greater than 10% decrease in body weight in the 6 months immediately preceding the surgery. A 1:5 propensity-score matching was used to match demographics, baseline characteristics, aneurysm diameter, distant aneurysm extent, anesthesia, and concomitant procedures between patients with and without malnutrition. Thirty-day postoperative outcomes were examined. RESULTS: There were 154 (0.94%) patients with malnutrition who went under non-ruptured EVAR. Meanwhile, 16,309 patients without malnutrition went under intact EVAR, where 737 of them were matched to all malnutrition patients. Malnourished patients had more comorbidity burdens. After propensity-score matching, patients with malnutrition had elevated but non-significant 30-day mortality (5.92% vs 2.99%, p = .09). However, malnutrition patients had higher risks of renal complications (2.63% vs 0.68%, p = .04), bleeding requiring transfusion (22.37% vs 14.38%, p = .02), and unplanned reoperation (11.18% vs 4.88%, p = .01), as well as longer length of stay (6.11 ± 7.91 vs 4.44 ± 6.22 days, p < .02). CONCLUSION: Patients with malnutrition experienced higher rates of morbidity after non-ruptured EVAR. Targeting malnutrition could be a strategy for preventing complications after EVAR and proper preoperative malnutritional management could be warranted.

Prior abdominal surgery is not associated with 30-day mortality or morbidities after endovascular repair of complex abdominal aortic aneurysm.

BACKGROUND: Prior abdominal surgery (PAS) has the potential to affect outcomes of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair. Recently, endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) has been expanded among patients with complex AAA, which involves visceral branches in the upper abdominal aortic. However, outcomes of EVAR for complex AAA in patients with PAS have not been examined. This study aimed to investigate the impact of PAS on 30-day outcomes in EVAR for complex AAA. METHODS: Patients who underwent EVAR for complex AAA were identified in ACS-NSQIP targeted database from 2012 to 2022. Complex AAA was defined as juxtarenal, suprarenal, or pararenal proximal extent, Type IV thoracoabdominal aneurysm, or aneurysms treated with Zenith Fenestrated endograft. Patients with age less than 18 years, ruptured AAA with or without hypotension, acute intraoperative conversion to open, and emergency presentation were excluded. Multivariable logistic regression was used to compare 30-day postoperative outcomes of patients with and without PAS. Demographics, baseline characteristics, aneurysm diameter, indication for surgery, proximal and distant aneurysm extent, anesthesia, and concomitant procedures were adjusted. RESULTS: There were 515 (28.34%) and 1302 (71.66%) patients with and without PAS, respectively, who underwent EVAR for complex AAA. Patients with and without PAS had comparable 30-day mortality (3.11% vs 3.00%, aOR = 0.766, 95 CI = 0.407-1.442, p = .41). Organ system complications including cardiac complications, stroke, pulmonary complications, and renal complications were comparable between patients with and without PAS. All other 30-day outcomes were similar between groups. However, patients with PAS had higher 30-day readmission rate (11.65% vs 7.14%, aOR = 1.634, 95 CI = 1.145-2.331, p = .01). CONCLUSION: While PAS has high prevalence among patients undergoing EVAR for complex AAA, it does not impact 30-day mortality and morbidities. Thus, EVAR for complex AAA can be considered safe for patients with PAS in terms of short-term outcomes, despite the long-term prognosis in these patients being needed in further studies.

The association of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and 30-day outcomes of infrainguinal bypass surgery: A propensity-score matching study.

BACKGROUND: Infrainguinal bypass surgery is an effective treatment for peripheral artery disease (PAD). While chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been linked to heightened risks of mortality and morbidity in major surgery, a thorough investigation into COPD's impact on infrainguinal bypass outcomes remained underexplored. Thus, this study aimed to assess the 30-day outcomes for COPD patients undergoing infrainguinal bypass surgery. METHODS: COPD and non-COPD patients who underwent infrainguinal bypass were identified in American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database from 2011 to 2022. Patients of age<18 were excluded. A 1:1 propensity-score matching was used to match demographics, baseline characteristics, symptomatology, procedure, conduit, and anesthesia. Thirty postoperative outcomes were compared. RESULTS: There were 3,183 (12.64%) and 22,004 (87.36%) patients with and without COPD, respectively, who underwent infrainguinal bypass. COPD patients had a higher comorbid burden. After propensity-score matching, COPD patients had higher sepsis (3.55% vs 2.42%, p = 0.01), wound complications (18.94% vs 16.40%, p = 0.01), and 30-day readmission (18.00% vs 14.92%, p < 0.01). However, COPD and non-COPD patients had comparable 30-day mortality (2.54% vs 2.67%, p = 0.81), and organ system complications including cardiac (3.58% vs 3.99%, p = 0.43), pulmonary (3.96% vs 3.20%, p = 0.12), and renal complications (1.70% vs 1.82%, p = 0.78). Limb-specific outcomes including major amputation (2.95% vs 2.50%, p = 0.30), untreated loss of patency (1.85% vs 1.38%, p = 0.16), and patent graft (98.24% vs 98.65%, p = 0.27) were also comparable between the cohorts. CONCLUSION: While COPD might be associated with the development of PAD due to potentially shared pathophysiology, it may not be an independent risk factor for the major 30-day outcomes in infrainguinal bypass surgery.

Thirty-day outcomes of endovascular repair of Stanford type B aortic dissection in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

BACKGROUND: Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair (TEVAR) has revolutionized the surgical treatment for Stanford type B aortic dissection (TBAD). While chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with worse outcomes in major surgeries, the specific outcomes of TEVAR in patients with COPD have not been extensively explored. This study aimed to evaluate the 30-day postoperative outcomes of COPD patients undergoing TEVAR for TBAD utilizing data from a multi-institutional national registry. METHODS: Patients who underwent TEVAR for TBAD were identified in the ACS-NSQIP database from 2005 to 2022. A 1:3 propensity-score matching was used to match demographics and preoperative characteristics between patients with and without COPD. Thirty-day postoperative outcomes were compared. RESULTS: There were 172 (9.56%) and 1628 (90.44%) COPD and non-COPD patients who underwent TEVAR for TBAD, respectively. Patients with COPD had a higher comorbidity burden. After the propensity-score matching, all 172 COPD patients were matched to 440 non-COPD patients. COPD and non-COPD patients had comparable mortality rates (10.12% vs 6.82%, p = .18). However, COPD patients had a higher risk of pulmonary complications (20.83% vs 13.18%, p = .02). All other 30-day outcomes were similar between the two groups. CONCLUSION: COPD patients had 58.04% higher pulmonary complications while all other 30-day outcomes were comparable to their non-COPD counterparts. Therefore, close monitoring and timely intervention for pulmonary complications in COPD patients can be important after TEVAR for TBAD. Future studies should investigate long-term outcomes among these COPD patients.

Preoperative anemia is a risk factor for worse 30-day outcomes in both open and endovascular repair of non-ruptured infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm.

BACKGROUND: Anemia is a highly prevalent condition potentially linked to chronic inflammation. Preoperative anemia is an independent risk factor across many surgical fields. However, the relationship between anemia and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair outcomes remains unclear. This study aimed to examine the effects of preoperative anemia on 30-day outcomes of non-ruptured infrarenal AAA repair. METHODS: Patients who underwent open surgical repair (OSR) and endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) for infrarenal AAA were identified in National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) targeted databases from 2012 to 2021. Anemia was defined as preoperative hematocrit less than 39% in males and 36% in females. Multivariable logistic regression was used to compare 30-day perioperative outcomes between anemic and non-anemic patients, adjusting for demographics, comorbidities, indications, aneurysm extents, operation time, and surgical approaches. RESULTS: There were 408 (22.13%) anemic and 1436 (77.88%) non-anemic patients who underwent OSR for non-ruptured AAA, while 3586 (25.20%) patients with and 10,644 (74.80%) without anemia underwent EVAR. In both OSR and EVAR, anemic patients had higher risks of bleeding requiring transfusion (OSR, aOR = 2.446, p < .01; EVAR, aOR = 3.691, p < .01), discharge not to home (OSR, aOR = 1.385, p = .04; EVAR, aOR = 1.27, p < .01), and 30-day readmission (OSR, aOR = 1.99, p < .01; EVAR, aOR = 1.367, p < .01). Also, anemic patients undergoing OSR had higher pulmonary events (aOR = 2.192, p < .01), sepsis (aOR = 2.352, p < .01), and venous thromboembolism (aOR = 2.913, p = .01), while in EVAR, anemic patients had higher mortality (aOR = 1.646, p = .01), cardiac complications (aOR = 1.39, p = .04), renal dysfunction (aOR = 1.658, p = .02), and unplanned reoperation (aOR = 1.322, p = .01). Moreover, in both OSR and EVAR, anemic patients had longer hospital length of stay (p < .01). CONCLUSION: In OSR and EVAR, preoperative anemia was independently associated with worse 30-day outcomes. Preoperative anemia could be a useful marker for risk stratification for patients undergoing infrarenal AAA repair.

Thirty-day outcomes of Asian Americans in endovascular repair of intact infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm.

BACKGROUND: Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) has become the predominant treatment for Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Racial disparity has been observed in EVAR but Asian Americans have been largely excluded from previous studies. This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate 30-day outcomes of Asian Americans undergoing EVAR for intact infrarenal AAA using a multi-institutional national database. METHODS: Patients who underwent infrarenal EVAR from 2012 to 2022 were identified in the ACS-NSQIP database. Exclusion criteria included age less than 18 years, emergency presentation, and acute intraoperative conversion to open. A 1:3 propensity-score matching was applied to Asian Americans and Caucasians to match their demographics, comorbidities, aneurysm diameter, distant extent of the aneurysm, anesthesia, and concomitant procedures. Thirty-day postoperative outcomes were examined. RESULTS: Among 16,463 patients who underwent EVAR for non-ruptured infrarenal AAA, 302 (1.83 %) were Asian Americans and 12,373 (75.16 %) were Caucasians. Asian Americans had older age and higher burdens of medical comorbidities. After propensity-score matching, Asian American and Caucasian patients had comparable 30-day outcomes including mortality (1.99 % vs 1.34 %, p = 0.42), cardiac complications (2.32 % vs 1.56 %, p = 0.45), pulmonary complications (2.32 % vs 1.89 %, p = 0.64), and renal complications (1.99 % vs 0.89 %, p = 0.13). However, Asian American patients had a longer operative time (155.80 ± 84.59 vs 136.60 ± 69.60 min, p < 0.01) and length of stay (3.60 ± 6.16 vs 2.71 ± 4.50 days, p = 0.01). All other 30-day outcomes were comparable between Asian American and Caucasian patients. CONCLUSION: Asian Americans might be underrepresented in EVAR due to limited healthcare access or a more insidious disease progression. After propensity-score matching, Asian Americans showed similar 30-day outcomes as their Caucasian counterparts. Thus, when given access, EVAR can be as effective and safe for Asian American patients. Future research should investigate the long-term prognosis for Asian Americans after EVAR.