The Impact of Heli-FX EndoAnchor Application on Endograft Material: An Experimental Study.

Objective: The physical impact of the application of Heli-FX EndoAnchors (EA; Medtronic, Minneapolis, USA) on endograft (EG) material is unclear. This study aimed to examine the possible EG membrane alterations after EA implantation.

Methods: Heli-FX EndoAnchors were applied into four aortic endocuffs: AFX2 (Endologix Inc.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging - Derived Psoas Muscle Area and Survival in Patients Treated Invasively for Peripheral Arterial Disease.

Background And Aims: Psoas muscle parameters estimated from computed tomography images, as surrogates for sarcopenia, have been found to be associated with post-interventional outcomes after a wide range of cardiovascular procedures. The pre-interventional assessment in patients undergoing invasive treatment for peripheral arterial disease is increasingly often carried out with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and we therefore sought to investigate the predictive potential of MRI-derived psoas muscle area in this cohort.

Methods: A total of 899 patients with available sufficient quality pre-interventional MRI conducted within 6 months prior to treatment undergoing open, endovascular, or hybrid revascularization procedures for claudication and/or limb-threatening ischemia at Tampere University hospital between 2010 and 2020 were retrospectively studied in this single-center cohort study.

Nellix Device Failure Mechanisms Analysis on Explanted Grafts.

Objective: To understand possible reasons for poor durability of the Nellix (Endologix Inc., Irvine, USA) endovascular aneurysm sealing (EVAS) device.

Materials And Methods: 21 Nellix endoprostheses explanted for endoleaks and migration underwent visual examinations of stent structures and instrumental examinations of the polymer endobags on 4 devices.

What We Know From Reports on Type III Endoleak in the Literature.

Objective: To analyse case reports published on the latest generations of endograft (EG) and understand the mechanisms of type III endoleak (EL) development.

Methods: A literature review was undertaken of English language case reports and series that concerned modular junction or component disconnection (type IIIa EL) and fabric perforations (type IIIb EL) after endovascular aneurysm repair.

Results: Of the 2 785 studies, 56 full texts were chosen to review 73 cases.

Psoas muscle quantified muscle status and long-term mortality after cardiovascular interventions.

Results: In the meta-analysis, psoas muscle measurements were significantly associated with mortality among men ( < 0.05), with high heterogeneity in the associations across all cohorts. There was very little difference in the association between PMA and PMD and mortality (HR 0.

Editor's Choice -- Type IIIb Endoleaks: Fabric Perforations of Explanted New Generation Endoprostheses.

Objective: To analyse explanted endografts (EGs) and describe fabric degradation responsible for type IIIb endoleaks.

Methods: As part of the European collaborative retrieval programme, 32 EGs with fabric defects on macroscopic evaluation were selected. The explanted EGs were processed and studied based on the ISO 9001 certified standard protocol.

To patch, or not to patch a common femoral artery, that is the question.

Objectives: There is no strong evidence to support or reject the use of patch angioplasty (PA) after femoral endarterectomy (FE). The current study aimed to assess early postoperative complications and compare primary patency (PP) rates after FE in patients treated with PA versus direct closure (DC).

Methods: This is a retrospective study of patients admitted during 06/2002-07/2017 with signs and symptoms of chronic lower limb ischemia (Rutherford categories 2-6).

The Cardiovascular-Mortality-Based Estimate for Normal Range of the Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI).

Background: The ankle−brachial index (ABI) is a first-line examination in cardiovascular risk evaluation. Since cut-off values for normal ABI vary, the aim of the present study was to identify the cardiovascular-mortality-based estimate for the normal range of the ABI. After determining the reference range for the ABI, the corresponding toe−brachial index (TBI) and toe pressure for normal ABI were analyzed.

Risk of symptomatic venous thromboembolism after abdominal aortic aneurysm repair in long-term follow-up of 1021 consecutive patients.

Objective: Venous thromboembolism (VTE), including deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism (PE), is an infrequent but consequential and potentially preventable complication after major surgical procedures. The aim of the study was to describe the long-term occurrence of symptomatic VTE in patients undergoing abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair and to ascertain patient-specific risk factors as well as to compare the rate with that of a reference population.

Methods: The study included all patients who had undergone endovascular or open AAA repair, both elective and urgent/acute cases, at the Tampere University Hospital (Finland) between February 2001 and December 2016; 59% of patients had undergone endovascular and 41% open repair, and 23% of all cases had required urgent or emergency treatment.

Prognostic risk factors for recurrent acute lower limb ischemia in patients treated with intra-arterial thrombolysis.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess factors predisposing patients to recurrent acute lower limb ischemia (RALLI).

Methods: Acute lower limb ischemia patients treated with catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) at Tampere University Hospital and Turku University Hospital between March 2002 and December 2015 were included. The patients' baseline demographics, comorbidities, and other characteristics were assessed retrospectively.

Lower Limb Pulse Rise Time as a Marker of Peripheral Arterial Disease.

Objective: The aim of the study was to show if pulse rise times (PRTs) extracted from photoplethysmographic (PPG) pulse waves (PWs) have an association with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) or its endovascular treatment, percutanoeus transluminal angioplasty (PTA) of the superficial femoral artery.

Methods: Lower and upper limb PPG PWs were recorded and analyzed from 24 patients who suffered from PAD. The measurements were conducted before and after the treatment, and one month later by using transmission-mode PPG-probes placed in the index finger and second toe.

Survival of Patients and Treatment-Related Outcome After Intra-Arterial Thrombolysis for Acute Lower Limb Ischemia.

Background: The aim of this study is to evaluate the long-term survival and treatment-related outcome in patients treated with intra-arterial thrombolysis for acute lower limb ischemia.

Methods: The study was based on a prospective vascular database with retrospectively obtained supplementary information from the patients' files. Additionally, data on the patients' date and cause of death were obtained from Statistics Finland.

Effects of Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty of Superficial Femoral Artery on Photoplethysmographic Pulse Transit Times.

We analyze the changes in upper and lower limb pulse transit times (PTT) caused by peripheral artery disease (PAD) and its treatment with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) of the superficial femoral artery. PTTs were extracted from the photoplethysmograms (PPG) recorded from an index finger and 2nd toes. PTTs were defined between the R-peaks of the ECG and different reference points of the PPG: foot and peak points, maxima of 1st and 2nd derivative, and by means of intersecting tangents method.

The effect of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty of superficial femoral artery on pulse wave features.

We aimed to analyze the effects of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) of the superficial femoral artery (SFA) on arterial pulse waves (PWs). Altogether 24 subjects i.e.

Bacterial signatures in thrombus aspirates of patients with lower limb arterial and venous thrombosis.

Objective: Increasing data supports the role of bacterial inflammation in adverse events of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. In our previous research, DNA of bacterial species found in coronary artery thrombus aspirates and ruptured cerebral aneurysms were mostly of endodontic and periodontal origin, where Streptococcus mitis group DNA was the most common. We hypothesized that the genomes of S mitis group could be identified in thrombus aspirates of patients with lower limb arterial and deep venous thrombosis.

Independent factors predicting early lower limb intra-arterial thrombolysis failure.

Background: Risk factors for early catheter-directed intra-arterial thrombolysis failure in acute lower limb ischemia remain unclear.

Methods: One hundred forty-nine limbs with acute artery or bypass graft thrombosis underwent catheter-directed thrombolysis (maximum of 48 hours). A retrospective data analysis was carried out to assess possible risk factors for early, 30-day treatment failure.

Challenging treatment of multiple late complications after endovascular aneurysm repair.

Background: To report a case of multiple additional procedures after successful endovascular treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Methods: An endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair with a bifurcated aortic Vanguard endograft successfully performed in 1999 resulted in multiple complications, including endoleaks and a row separation, treated endovascularly. Subsequently, tuberculosis sepsis and prosthesis infection resulted in long-term antibiotic treatment.