Nicotine Dependence and Willingness to Quit Smoking in Vascular Surgery Patients.

Background: Smoking rates have declined; however, it remains the primary modifiable risk factor for vascular disease. While vascular surgeons often advise patients to quit, few provide assistance. We sought to understand patients' interest in quitting and determine factors that influence this willingness to quit.

Mynx Vascular Closure Device in Arterial Endovascular Procedures.

Background: Vascular closure devices have been used to achieve hemostasis of percutaneous access sites following endovascular procedures, with reported decreased time for arterial control as well as decreased time to ambulation. We sought to determine rates and risk factors of postoperative bleeding complications and failures using these devices from a single institution experienced in the use of vascular closure devices.

Methods: All patients undergoing arterial endovascular procedures with percutaneous access between March 2010 and October 2015 at a single institution were identified and analyzed (n = 894).

Contemporary Characteristics and Outcomes of Young Patients (Under 50 Years) Undergoing Open Carotid Artery Surgery.

Background: Stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide, with 10% of neurologic events occurring in adults aged 18-49 years. The incidence in this age group has risen over the last 2 decades (while falling in the aged), despite improved diagnostic capacity and greater ability to treat it medically and surgically. We are unaware of any modern data regarding the risk factors and outcomes after carotid artery surgery in this demographic.

Risk of Acute Kidney Injury after Percutaneous Pharmacomechanical Thrombectomy Using AngioJet in Venous and Arterial Thrombosis.

Background: Percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy is commonly used to treat acute thrombotic syndromes. AngioJet (AJ) forcibly sprays fibrinolytics to fragment and aspirate thrombus. It is known to cause hemolysis and gross hematuria, yet potential consequences to renal function after AJ remain unstudied.

High-Resolution CT Angiogram for Lower Extremity Vein Mapping.

High-resolution CT angiogram (CTA) has replaced traditional diagnostic angiography as the main preoperative imaging modality for vascular surgery patients. Although the use of CTA is increasing for arterial imaging, it has not been used routinely for vein mapping. The goal of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of CTA for venous anatomy and compare it to a standard venous duplex ultrasound (DUS).

Unilateral inline replacement of infected aortofemoral graft limb with femoral vein.

Objective: Aortic graft infection remains a formidable challenge for the vascular surgeon. Traditionally, reconstruction with a neoaortoiliac system (NAIS) involves removal of the entire synthetic graft with in situ reconstruction using femoral vein. Whereas the NAIS procedure is durable with excellent graft patency and a low reinfection rate, it can take up to 10 hours and result in a high perioperative complication rate with significant mortality.

Outcomes after retroflexed gracilis muscle flap for vascular infections in the groin.

Objective: Multiple catheterizations and procedures on the femoral arteries can increase the risk of infection and eventual destruction of the overlying skin and subcutaneous tissue. Without adequate tissue coverage, vascular structures are exposed and, thus, vulnerable to disruption. This can lead to loss of limb and/or life and carries a significant mortality.

Delayed management of Grade III blunt aortic injury: Series from a Level I trauma center.

Background: Blunt aortic injuries (BAIs) are traditionally treated as surgical emergencies, with the majority of repairs performed in an urgent fashion within 24 hours, irrespective of the grade of aortic injury. These patients are often underresuscitated and often have multiple other trauma issues that need to be addressed. This study reviews a single center's experience comparing urgent (<24 hours) thoracic endovascular aneurysm repair (TEVAR) versus delayed (>24 hours) TEVAR for Grade III BAI.

Management of noninfected prosthetic aortic bypass failures using femoral vein.

Objective: The use of femoral-popliteal vein as a conduit to treat infected aortoiliac pathologies has been described extensively and is referred to as the neoaortoiliac system procedure. We examined our center's outcomes after using deep vein as a conduit for the salvage of failed aortofemoral prosthetic bypasses in patients without infection.

Methods: Procedures using femoral vein as conduit at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences between January 2005 and July 2013 were retrospectively reviewed (n = 110).

Long-term results of the treatment of aortic graft infection by in situ replacement with femoral popliteal vein grafts.

Objective: Graft excision and neo-aortoiliac system (NAIS) reconstruction with large caliber, femoral popliteal vein (FPV) grafts have been reported as successful treatment of aortic graft infection (AGI) in several small series with limited follow-up. The goal of this study was to evaluate long-term outcomes in large cohort of consecutive patients treated with NAIS for AGI.

Methods: From 1990 to 2006, 187 patients (age: 63 +/- 10 years) with AGI were treated with in situ reconstructions using 336 FPV grafts.

Staging the neoaortoiliac system: feasibility and short-term outcomes.

Background: The neoaortoiliac system (NAIS) has gained popularity as a durable procedure for treating aortic graft infections. However, one of the disadvantages has been a long operation that can take up to 10 hours. The goal of this study was to assess the feasibility of staging the NAIS procedure with deep vein harvest a day before the aortofemoral bypass and evaluate if staging had any effect on graft patency or morbidity and mortality, or both.

Definitive test to diagnose median arcuate ligament syndrome: injection of vasodilator during angiography.

The diagnosis of median arcuate ligament (MAL) syndrome and its correlation with symptoms has been controversial since the disease entity was described. The authors describe a technique that will identify patients who will benefit from intervention. Eight patients with isolated celiac artery compression from MAL were identified by the authors.

Pseudoaneurysm: a review.

Pseudoaneurysms may arise from any artery in the human body. Most commonly found to involve the femoral artery after angiography, the presentation may vary from being clinically silent to a life-threatening emergency scenario. Recognition of this condition and treatment largely depend on the hemodynamic stability and anatomy of the pseudoaneurysm.

Remote superficial femoral artery endarterectomy: early results for TASC D lesions in patients with severe ischemia.

Endovascular treatment for Transatlantic Inter-Society Consensus (TASC) D lesions of the superficial femoral artery has been disappointing. This has been attributed to a bulking atheromatous plaque. Debulking the superficial femoral artery allows for a larger lumen, whereas covering the lumen with an endograft provides in-line flow.

Iliac conduit for deploying aortic endografts: an all-autogenous option.

Unfavorable iliac anatomy, such as small caliber or circumferential calcification, can cause problems during delivery of aortic endografts and lead to potential complications. An iliac artery conduit "chimney" has been used to deliver the large caliber endoprosthesis using a Dacron graft sewn onto the iliac bifurcation. An all-autogenous revascularization option allows for hypogastric bypass while limiting the use of synthetic graft.

Esophageal stent erosion into the common carotid artery.

A pseudoaneurysm of the common carotid artery was found with computed tomography in a 62-year-old woman with an esophageal stent that had eroded through her skin. The pseudoaneurysm was treated with a self-expanding nitinol stent; after massive hemoptysis, an endograft was placed on the pseudoaneurysm. The patient then underwent ligation of the left common carotid artery, proximal to the carotid bulb, and excision of the endograft and previously placed coils.

Techniques for managing complications of arterial closure devices.

According to data reported by the American Heart Association, more than 5 million diagnostic and therapeutic catheterizations are performed each year in the United States. The number of catheterizations has tripled since 1979. It has been estimated that complications related to the access site result in more than 75,000 surgical procedures annually.

Complex venous and arterial reconstruction with deep vein after pelvic exenterative surgery: a case report.

Effective local regional control for solid tumor malignancies is dependent upon prerequisite surgical excision with negative margins. Invasion of contiguous adjacent structures, particularly in anatomical spaces of limited size, may preclude the surgical goal of histologically negative margins. From a historical perspective, the invasion of vascular structures in the pelvis has proved to be a significant limitation in achieving local regional disease control with surgical resection.

Percutaneous isolated limb perfusion with thrombolytics for severe limb ischemia.

Patients with severe tibioperoneal disease are poor candidates for a distal bypass. Absence of a distal target, lack of conduit, or multiple medical problems can make these patients a prohibitive risk for revascularization. Acute on chronic ischemia in this group poses a greater challenge.

Graft-associated hemorrhage from femoropopliteal vein grafts.

Objective: The femoropopliteal vein (FPV) graft has been used extensively for large-caliber vascular reconstructions. To date, there have been no reports of anastomotic dehiscence or rupture leading to graft-associated hemorrhage (GAH). In the present report, we review our experience with GAH from FPV grafts to determine the incidence of this problem, to better understand the etiology, and to determine potential methods to prevent this complication.

Arterial reconstruction of infected femoral artery pseudoaneurysms using superficial femoral-popliteal vein.

Background: Infected femoral artery pseudoaneurysms (IFAPs) secondary to percutaneous arterial access, injection of illegal substances, and from infected synthetic grafts, appear to be increasing in incidence. Ligation of IFAPs without revascularization offers control of infection but may risk limb ischemia. Revascularization with extraanatomic synthetic grafts may risk reinfection and abrupt thrombosis.

Aortofemoral bypass in young patients with premature atherosclerosis: is superficial femoral vein superior to Dacron?

Purpose: Previous studies have documented poor patency rates in "young" patients (age 55 years or younger) with premature atherosclerosis undergoing aortofemoral bypass (AFB) to treat aortoiliac occlusive disease. Given the high reported graft patency rates with superficial femoral vein (SFV) grafts performed because of aortic graft infection, we evaluated the role of SFV grafts for AFB as primary therapy for premature atherosclerosis in a case-control study.

Methods: Over 10 years 31 patients aged 55 year or younger underwent AFB with use of SFV (V-AFB).

Deep vein harvest: predicting need for fasciotomy.

Objective: Deep thigh veins, including the superficial femoral, superficial femoropopliteal, and profunda femoris veins, are versatile autogenous conduits for arterial reconstruction. Although late venous complications are unusual, deep vein harvest may induce severe venous hypertension and predispose the limb to acute compartment syndrome. The purpose of this study was to define the frequency of fasciotomy in patients undergoing deep vein harvest and to identify clinical predictors of the need for fasciotomy after deep vein harvest.