A prospective observational study to evaluate a possible relationship between vitamin K antagonist therapy and risk of peripheral arterial disease in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Aim: The use of vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) may increase the risk of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) because vitamin K is a strong inhibitor of medial arterial calcification. Type 2 diabetes (T2D) exposes patients to an increased risk of PAD. We examined how the use of VKAs modulates the risk of incident PAD in people with T2D.

Editor's Choice - Infra-inguinal Endovascular Revascularisation and Bypass Surgery for Chronic Limb Threatening Ischaemia: a Retrospective European Multicentre Cohort Study with Propensity Score Matching.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the long term efficacy of lower limb bypass with that of endovascular treatment (EVT) in patients with chronic limb threatening ischaemia (CLTI).

Methods: This retrospective, multicentre study evaluated the outcomes of patients with CLTI who underwent first time infra-inguinal bypass or EVT. The primary outcome was to compare amputation free survival (AFS) rates between the two propensity score matched groups.

A Randomized Trial Comparing Polymer Versus Suture-Based Vascular Closure Devices for Arterial Closure Following Lower-Limb Arterial Endovascular Revascularization.

Purposes: The primary objective of this study (STEP trial) was to compare the efficacy of the polymer-based FemoSeal® vascular closure device (VCD) and the suture-based ProGlide® VCD in achieving hemostasis at the femoral access site after lower-limb arterial endovascular revascularization.

Materials And Methods: STEP was a multicenter randomized clinical trial including patients undergoing lower-limb arterial endovascular revascularization. The primary endpoint was technical success 5 h after the VCD intervention, defined as achievement of hemostasis without the need for a follow-up intervention at the access site and without a 2-g/dL drop in hemoglobin.

Plasma concentrations of lipoproteins and risk of lower-limb peripheral artery disease in people with type 2 diabetes: the SURDIAGENE study.

Aims/hypothesis: The lipid profile has not been fully investigated in individuals with peripheral artery disease (PAD). We aimed to evaluate the relationship between plasma concentrations of lipoproteins and the prevalence of lower-limb PAD at baseline and its incidence during follow-up in people with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: Plasma concentrations of total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triacylglycerol and apolipoprotein (Apo) A-I, ApoA-II, ApoB-100 and Apo(a) were measured at baseline using colorimetric or MS methods in the SURDIAGENE cohort.

Relationship Between Diabetic Retinopathy Stages and Risk of Major Lower-Extremity Arterial Disease in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes.

Objective: We evaluated the association between diabetic retinopathy stages and lower-extremity arterial disease (LEAD), its prognostic value, and the influence of potential contributors to this relationship in a prospective cohort of patients with type 2 diabetes.

Research Design And Methods: Diabetic retinopathy was staged at baseline as absent, nonproliferative, or proliferative. A Cox regression model was fitted in order to compute the hazard ratio (HR) (95% CI) for major LEAD (lower-limb amputation or revascularization) during follow-up by baseline retinopathy stages.

Delayed severe median nerve palsy due to undiagnosed brachial pseudoaneurysm.

Post-catheterization pseudoaneurysms are a well-known complication of many endovascular procedures at the site of arterial puncture. However, long-term neurological complications due to undiagnosed compression are rare. A 60-year-old man presented to our unit for round, non-pulsatile, painless swelling in the inner side of his upper arm.

Multicentre Experience with the Chimney Technique for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms in French University Hospitals.

Objective: The chimney technique (ChEVAR) allows for proximal landing zone extension for endovascular repair of complex aortic aneurysms. The aim of the present study was to assess ChEVAR national outcomes in French university hospital centres.

Methods: All centres were contacted and entered data into a computerised online database on a voluntary basis.

Lower limb events in individuals with type 2 diabetes: evidence for an increased risk associated with diuretic use.

Aims/hypothesis: Recently, safety data signalled an increased risk of amputations in people taking canagliflozin, a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor. If this side effect is due to drug-induced hypovolaemia, diuretics should also increase that risk. The aim of this study was to analyse the association between diuretic use and the risk of lower limb events (LLEs) in people with type 2 diabetes.

Prognostic Values of Inflammatory and Redox Status Biomarkers on the Risk of Major Lower-Extremity Artery Disease in Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes.

Objective: Inflammation and oxidative stress play an important role in the pathogenesis of lower-extremity artery disease (LEAD). We assessed the prognostic values of inflammatory and redox status biomarkers on the risk of LEAD in individuals with type 2 diabetes.

Research Design And Methods: Plasma concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-α receptor 1 (TNFR1), angiopoietin-like 2, ischemia-modified albumin (IMA), fluorescent advanced glycation end products, protein carbonyls, and total reductive capacity of plasma were measured at baseline in the SURDIAGENE (Survie, Diabete de type 2 et Genetique) cohort.

Use of VIABAHN Open Revascularisation TEChnique (VORTEC) for Iliofemoral Bypass.

Introduction: The VIABAHN Open Revascularisation TEChnique (VORTEC) was initially described for visceral revascularisation and supra-aortic reconstruction for complex aortic hybrid surgery. Herein is reported the use of this innovative technique for revascularisation of the iliofemoral arteries.

Report: The use of the VORTEC to perform proximal anastomosis of a prosthetic iliofemoral bypass in two symptomatic patients with heavily calcified iliac artery lesions and redo surgery, respectively, is reported.

Influence of micro- and macro-vascular disease and Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor 1 on the level of lower-extremity amputation in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Background: Patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) face a high amputation rate. We investigated the relationship between the level of amputation and the presence of micro or macro-vascular disease and related circulating biomarkers, Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor 1 (TNFR1) and Angiopoietin like-2 protein (ANGPTL2).

Methods: We have analyzed data from 1468 T2D participants in a single center prospective cohort (the SURDIAGENE cohort).

Impact of angiosome- and nonangiosome-targeted peroneal bypass on limb salvage and healing in patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia.

Background: Direct (DIR) or indirect (IND) revascularization of pedal angiosomes in patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) has an unclear impact on limb salvage and healing. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of DIR and IND revascularization in patients with a peroneal bypass and tissue loss.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of a prospectively maintained database in two European university centers from 2004 to 2015.

Prosthetic bypass for restenosis after endarterectomy or stenting of the carotid artery.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the results of prosthetic carotid bypass (PCB) with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) grafts as an alternative to carotid endarterectomy (CEA) in treatment of restenosis after CEA or carotid artery stenting (CAS).

Methods: From January 2000 to December 2014, 66 patients (57 men and 9 women; mean age, 71 years) presenting with recurrent carotid artery stenosis ≥70% (North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial [NASCET] criteria) were enrolled in a prospective study in three centers. The study was approved by an Institutional Review Board.

Dual Antiplatelet Therapy Does Not Increase the Risk of Bleeding After Carotid Endarterectomy: Results of a Prospective Study.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the risk of bleeding and other postoperative complications of carotid endarterectomy (CEA) in patients receiving dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT).

Methods: From January 2005 to December 2015, 188 consecutive patients undergoing CEA and receiving DAPT (aspirin 100 mg + clopidogrel 75 mg) were enrolled in a prospective study. All of them underwent coronary artery stenting with drug-eluting stents during the 6 months preceding CEA.

How to manage hypertension with atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis?

The management of atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (ARAS) in patients with hypertension has been the topic of great controversy. Major contemporary clinical trials such as the Cardiovascular Outcomes for Renal Artery lesions (CORAL) and Angioplasty and Stenting for Renal Atherosclerotic lesions (ASTRAL) have failed to show significant benefit of revascularization over medical management in controlling blood pressure and preserving renal function. We present here the implications and limitations of these trials and formulate recommendations for management of ARAS.

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Study Objective: To compare the postoperative and medium-term outcomes of laparoscopic aortic surgery with those of conventional aortic surgery performed by a surgical team trained in laparoscopic aortic surgery.

Methods: A prospective study was conducted between January 2006 and December 2011 with 228 consecutive patients having undergone aortic bypass surgery for either an abdominal aortic aneurysm (n = 139) or an occlusive aortoiliac disease (n = 89). Conventional open aortic surgery was carried out in 145 patients, and total laparoscopic repair in 83 patients.

Resection of recurrent neck cancer with carotid artery replacement.

Objective: The management of patients with recurrent neck cancer invading the carotid artery is controversial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate overall survival rate, primary patency of vascular reconstructions, and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) after en bloc resection of the carotid artery and tumor with in-line polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) carotid grafting, followed by radiotherapy.

Methods: From 2000 to 2014, 31 consecutive patients with recurrent neck cancer invading the carotid artery underwent en bloc resection and simultaneous carotid artery reconstruction with a PTFE graft, which was associated in 18 cases with a myocutaneous flap.

Amniotic fluid-derived mesenchymal stem cells prevent fibrosis and preserve renal function in a preclinical porcine model of kidney transplantation.

It is well known that ischemia/reperfusion injuries strongly affect the success of human organ transplantation. Development of interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy is the main deleterious phenomenon involved. Stem cells are a promising therapeutic tool already validated in various ischemic diseases.

Cholesterol crystal embolism and delayed-onset paraplegia after thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair.

Postoperative paraplegia caused by ischemic injury of the spinal cord is the most disabling complication of thoracoabdominal surgery. We described the case of a 75-year-old patient who underwent a thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair (type IV aneurysm according to Crawford classification). The aorta clamping was done at the T11 level without specific medullary protection.

Endovascular strategy for the elective treatment of concomitant aortoiliac aneurysm and symptomatic large bowel diverticular disease.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the strategy for treatment of patients presenting with asymptomatic diverticular disease of the large bowel associated with an asymptomatic aortoiliac aneurysmal (AAA) disease.

Methods: Sixty-nine patients were included in this retrospective study. The patients were divided into 5 groups according to the type and sequence of the surgical treatment: 32 patients (47%) underwent colectomy followed by a staged open AAA repair (group A); 10 patients (14%) were treated with open AAA repair followed by a staged colectomy (group B); 13 patients (18%) received endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) followed by a staged bowel resection (group C); 8 patients (12%) had a bowel resection followed by staged EVAR (group D); and 6 patients (9%) underwent simultaneous open AAA repair and bowel resection (group E).

Debate: whether young, good-risk patients should be treated with endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

As endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair has become increasingly prominent in our vascular surgery practices, the discussion regarding long-term durability continues. The initial randomized trials that enrolled patients almost 10 years ago revealed a short-term survival advantage with endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair at the expense of a higher reintervention rate and loss of that initial survival advantage in the longer term. Continuing and healthy debate over the practical importance of these findings has resulted in somewhat differing practice patterns on either side of the Atlantic.

The role of completion imaging following carotid artery endarterectomy.

A variety of completion imaging methods can be used during carotid endarterectomy to recognize technical errors or intrinsic abnormalities such as mural thrombus or platelet aggregation, but none of these methods has achieved wide acceptance, and their ability to improve the outcome of the operation remains a matter of controversy. It is unclear if completion imaging is routinely necessary and which abnormalities require re-exploration. Proponents of routine completion imaging argue that identification of these abnormalities will allow their immediate correction and avoid a perioperative stroke.

In vitro evaluation of the antimicrobial efficacy of a new silver-triclosan vs a silver collagen-coated polyester vascular graft against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Objectives: Vascular graft infection is a rare but serious complication of vascular reconstructive surgery. This in vitro study investigated the antimicrobial efficacy of a new, silver-triclosan collagen-coated polyester vascular graft compared with a silver collagen-coated polyester vascular graft alone during the first 24 hours.

Methods: The antimicrobial efficacy of the investigated vascular grafts was assessed by performing a time-kill kinetic assay following Clinical and Laboratory Institute Standards-approved guidelines M26-A.

Role of interventions for atherosclerotic renal artery stenoses.

The role of and indications for interventions for renal artery stenosis have long been a hot topic of debate. Despite numerous reports and studies over the years, there remain many unanswered questions. Among them are: Who should be intervened upon? What should be the objectives of intervention? What is the optimal mode of intervention? More recently, several randomized studies have attempted to answer some of these basic questions, but unfortunately have left many unanswered questions.