Journal of vascular surgery
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
The impact of contralateral carotid artery stenosis on outcomes after carotid endarterectomy.
Patients with contralateral carotid occlusion (CCO) have been excluded from randomized clinical trials because of a deemed high risk for adverse neurologic outcomes with carotid endarterectomy (CEA). Evidence for this rationale is limited and conflicting. Therefore, we aimed to compare outcomes after CEA between patients with and without CCO and varying degrees of contralateral carotid stenosis (CCS). ⋯ Although CCO increases the risk of 30-day stroke/death, in-hospital strokes, and prolonged length of stay after CEA, the 30-day stroke/death rates in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients with CCO remain within the recommended thresholds set by the 14 societies' guideline document. Thus, CCO should not qualify as a high-risk criterion for CEA. Moreover, there is no evidence that patients with CCO have lower stroke/death rates after carotid artery stenting than after CEA. We believe that CEA remains a valid and safe option for patients with CCO and that CCO should not be applied as a criterion to promote carotid artery stenting per se.
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Preoperative anemia in elderly patients undergoing surgery is prevalent and associated with adverse events; however, the interaction with other risk factors in patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) is not well described. The purpose of this study was to assess the association between lower hematocrit (HCT) levels on admission and postoperative outcomes after infrainguinal bypass surgery. ⋯ Mortality and major adverse events in CLTI patients undergoing infrainguinal bypass are inversely associated with preoperative HCT levels, with the highest event rates in the most severely anemic patients. The correlation between anemia and MACE-but not mortality-was stronger in those patients receiving postoperative blood transfusions. Further research is needed to define an appropriate transfusion threshold, and attention should be focused on how to best optimize anemic CLTI patients before intervention.
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Spontaneous rupture of splenic artery aneurysm is a rare cause of acute abdomen with hemorrhagic shock that is a life-threatening surgical emergency. We report a case of a spontaneous rupture of an 8.5-cm splenic artery aneurysm managed using resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (ER-REBOA Catheter; Prytime Medical Inc, Boerne, Tex) for proximal control of the aorta before laparotomy. This is a minimally invasive technique that can be used as an adjunct to massive transfusion resuscitation and laparotomy for life-threatening intraperitoneal hemorrhage.
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Vascular surgery residency and fellowship applicants commonly seek information about programs from the Internet. Lack of an effective web presence curtails the ability of programs to attract applicants, and in turn applicants may be unable to ascertain which programs are the best fit for their career aspirations. This study was designed to evaluate the presence, accessibility, comprehensiveness, and quality of vascular surgery training websites (VSTW). ⋯ The web presence of vascular surgery training programs lacks sufficient accessibility, content, organization, design, and user friendliness to allow applicants to access information that informs them sufficiently. There are opportunities to more effectively use VSTW for the benefit of training programs and prospective applicants.