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Ahmed Hussein Subki,1 Ibraheem Mohammed Almani,2 Abdurahman Albeity,1 Bandari Khalid Aljabri,1 Roaa Alsolaimani,1,2 Hussein Halabi1 1Department of Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Ahmed Hussein Subki; Hussein Halabi, Department of Internal Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & research center, POBox: 43129, Jeddah, 21561, Saudi Arabia, Tel +966566724288, Email subki.research@gmail.com; mfasel@gmail.comBackground: Spontaneous pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema are rare and serious complications of dermatomyositis (DM).Case Presentation: Our article presents two clinically heterogeneous cases of DM who developed pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema. The first was a 24-year-old lady with a recently diagnosed DM. She developed rapidly progressive pneumonia, interstitial lung disease (ILD), pneumomediastinum, subcutaneous emphysema, and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). She died despite treatment with steroids and immunosuppressants (methotrexate and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF)). The second was a 30-year-old man diagnosed with amyopathic DM. He developed pneumomediastinum prior to ILD, which worsened over time, and subcutaneous emphysema evolved. However, he recovered completely after corticosteroid, MMF, and rituximab.Conclusion: Spontaneous pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema may complicate DM. Corticosteroids, immunosuppressants, and respiratory support are the mainstay of management for these conditions. Though they were reported to carry a poor prognostic value, the course and outcome are highly variable among the cases.Keywords: dermatomyositis, pneumomediastinum, subcutaneous emphysema, pneumothorax, corticosteroids, immunosuppressants, rituximab

Celiac artery aneurysms are rare and usually asymptomatic. The management of these aneurysms is challenging, especially when they are large and involve the confluence of the trifurcation. We present here a case of a large celiac artery aneurysm involving its branches in a young woman. Preoperative investigations, intraoperative findings, and the operative procedure are also presented and discussed.

Background/Objectives : Since thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) and endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) are increasingly utilized, examining their outcomes and safety in real-world scenarios is crucial. This study investigated the management and outcomes of TEVAR and EVAR as alternatives to traditional open surgical repair for managing aortic pathologies. Methods : This was a retrospective cohort study. We analyzed the data from 59 consecutive patients who underwent TEVAR or EVAR between 2015 and 2022 at a single tertiary care center. The primary outcome was survival, and secondary outcomes were complications assessment, including re-intervention and occurrence of endoleaks. Results : TEVAR accounted for 47.5% of cases (n = 28), while EVAR comprised 52.5% (n = 31). Patients were mostly 61-70 years old (23.7%) and male (91.5%). Surgery indications differed, with aneurysmal repair being the prevalent indication for EVAR (90.3%, n = 28) and trauma being the main indication for TEVAR (67.9%, n = 19). Regarding the primary outcome, 11 patients (18.6%) died for various reasons; of those, 2 patients (3.4%) were determined to have died from vascular-related issues. Most patients (81.4%, n = 48) did not experience intraoperative complications. The most common intraoperative complications were endoleaks and access failure, each affecting 5.1% (n = 3) of patients. Re-intervention was necessary in 16.9% (n = 10) of cases, with endoleaks being the major indication (60%). Emergency intervention was more frequent in the TEVAR group (p = 0.013), resulting in significantly longer hospitalization ( p = 0.012). Conclusions : Despite limitations, our analysis indicates a good safety profile with high success rates and a low incidence of adverse health outcomes and mortality in TEVAR/EVAR procedures. Nevertheless, the results emphasize the ongoing concern of endograft leaks, necessitating re-interventions.

Virtual assistants, broadly defined as digital services designed to simulate human conversation and provide personalized responses based on user input, have the potential to improve health care by supporting clinicians and patients in terms of diagnosing and managing disease, performing administrative tasks, and supporting medical research and education. These tasks are particularly helpful in vascular surgery, where the clinical and administrative burden is high due to the rising incidence of vascular disease, the medical complexity of the patients, and the potential for innovation and care advancement. The rapid development of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing techniques have facilitated the training of large language models, such as GPT-4 (OpenAI), which can support the development of increasingly powerful virtual assistants. These tools may support holistic, multidisciplinary, and high-quality vascular care delivery throughout the pre-, intra-, and postoperative stages. Importantly, it is critical to consider the design, safety, and challenges related to virtual assistants, including data security, ethical, and equity concerns. By combining the perspectives of patients, clinicians, data scientists, and other stakeholders when developing, implementing, and monitoring virtual assistants, there is potential to harness the power of this technology to care for vascular surgery patients more effectively. In this comprehensive review article, we introduce the concept of virtual assistants, describe potential applications of virtual assistants in vascular surgery for clinicians and patients, highlight the benefits and drawbacks of large language models, such as GPT-4, and discuss considerations around the design, safety, and challenges associated with virtual assistants in vascular surgery., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this article., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to investigate the effectiveness of left subclavian artery revascularization compared with non-revascularization in thoracic endovascular aortic repair, and to summarize the current evidence on its indications., Methods: A computerized search was conducted across multiple databases, including MEDLINE, SCOPUS, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science, for studies published up to November 2023. Study selection, data abstraction, and quality assessment (using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale) were independently conducted by two reviewers, with a third author resolving discrepancies. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using random-effects models and publication bias was assessed using funnel plots., Results: In the 76 included studies, left subclavian artery revascularization was associated with reduced risks of stroke (OR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.45-0.98; n = 15,331), spinal cord ischemia (OR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.56-0.99; n = 11,995), and arm ischemia (OR, 0.09; 95% CI, 0.01-0.59; n = 8438). No significant reduction in paraplegia (OR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.21-1.47; n = 1802) or mortality (OR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.53-1.12; n = 11,831) was observed. Moreover, the risk of endoleak was comparable in both groups (OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 0.55-2.84; P = .60; n = 793), whereas the risk of reintervention was significantly higher in the revascularization group (OR, 1.98; 95% CI, 1.03-3.83; P = .04; n = 272). Both groups had similar risks of major (OR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.19-1.09; P = .08; n = 1113), minor (OR, 0.21; 95% CI, 0.01-3.45; P = .27; n = 183), renal (OR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.12-3.06; P = .55; n = 310), and pulmonary (OR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.16-2.15; P = .42; n = 8083) complications. The most frequent indications for left subclavian artery revascularization were primary prevention of spinal cord ischemia, augmentation of the landing zone, and primary stroke prevention., Conclusions: Left subclavian artery revascularization in thoracic endovascular aortic repair was associated with reduced neurological complications but was not found to impact mortality. The study highlights important indications for revascularization as well as significant predictors of complications, providing a basis for clinical decision-making and future research., Competing Interests: Disclosures M.A.H. is funded by a Brigham and Women’s Hospital Heart and Vascular Center Faculty Award and Brigham and Women’s Osteen Award; research grants from Vascular Therapies (ACCESS-2 Trial) and Humacyte, Inc (V-012 Trial); and is a consultant for Humacyte, Inc., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background/Objectives: Deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA) is safe, but subtle neurodevelopmental deficits may persist far beyond the perioperative period. We aimed to investigate the relationship between DHCA duration and neurodevelopmental outcomes in young children undergoing cardiac surgery with DHCA. Methods: Children aged < 42 months, including neonates who underwent cardiac surgery using DHCA without regional perfusion techniques, were included as the DHCA group. Children in the same age range who underwent cardiac surgery without DHCA were included as the control group. All enrolled patients underwent neurodevelopmental assessment using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (BSTID) by a trained pediatrician, and 17 DHCA patients and 6 control patients completed the BSTID assessment. Results: Both groups showed no significant preoperative, operative, or postoperative differences. Adjusted multivariable analysis revealed that prematurity and age at assessment were significant changing predictors of each of the BSTID components ( p < 0.001), except for the gross motor component, where only age at assessment was a significant adjusting predictor. Longer DHCA was associated with lower fine and gross motor BSTID components; however, the association was not statistically significant ( p = 0.06). Conclusions: Long-duration DHCA without regional perfusion techniques may be associated with less optimal neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Background: Lower extremity endovascular revascularization for peripheral artery disease carries nonnegligible perioperative risks; however, outcome prediction tools remain limited. Using machine learning, we developed automated algorithms that predict 30-day outcomes following lower extremity endovascular revascularization., Methods and Results: The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program targeted vascular database was used to identify patients who underwent lower extremity endovascular revascularization (angioplasty, stent, or atherectomy) for peripheral artery disease between 2011 and 2021. Input features included 38 preoperative demographic/clinical variables. The primary outcome was 30-day postprocedural major adverse limb event (composite of major reintervention, untreated loss of patency, or major amputation) or death. Data were split into training (70%) and test (30%) sets. Using 10-fold cross-validation, 6 machine learning models were trained using preoperative features. The primary model evaluation metric was area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. Overall, 21 886 patients were included, and 30-day major adverse limb event/death occurred in 1964 (9.0%) individuals. The best performing model for predicting 30-day major adverse limb event/death was extreme gradient boosting, achieving an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.93 (95% CI, 0.92-0.94). In comparison, logistic regression had an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.72 (95% CI, 0.70-0.74). The calibration plot showed good agreement between predicted and observed event probabilities with a Brier score of 0.09. The top 3 predictive features in our algorithm were (1) chronic limb-threatening ischemia, (2) tibial intervention, and (3) congestive heart failure., Conclusions: Our machine learning models accurately predict 30-day outcomes following lower extremity endovascular revascularization using preoperative data with good discrimination and calibration. Prospective validation is warranted to assess for generalizability and external validity.

Objective: To develop machine learning (ML) algorithms that predict outcomes after infrainguinal bypass., Background: Infrainguinal bypass for peripheral artery disease carries significant surgical risks; however, outcome prediction tools remain limited., Methods: The Vascular Quality Initiative database was used to identify patients who underwent infrainguinal bypass for peripheral artery disease between 2003 and 2023. We identified 97 potential predictor variables from the index hospitalization [68 preoperative (demographic/clinical), 13 intraoperative (procedural), and 16 postoperative (in-hospital course/complications)]. The primary outcome was 1-year major adverse limb event (composite of surgical revision, thrombectomy/thrombolysis, or major amputation) or death. Our data were split into training (70%) and test (30%) sets. Using 10-fold cross-validation, we trained 6 ML models using preoperative features. The primary model evaluation metric was the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). The top-performing algorithm was further trained using intraoperative and postoperative features. Model robustness was evaluated using calibration plots and Brier scores., Results: Overall, 59,784 patients underwent infrainguinal bypass, and 15,942 (26.7%) developed 1-year major adverse limb event/death. The best preoperative prediction model was XGBoost, achieving an AUROC (95% CI) of 0.94 (0.93-0.95). In comparison, logistic regression had an AUROC (95% CI) of 0.61 (0.59-0.63). Our XGBoost model maintained excellent performance at the intraoperative and postoperative stages, with AUROCs (95% CI's) of 0.94 (0.93-0.95) and 0.96 (0.95-0.97), respectively. Calibration plots showed good agreement between predicted and observed event probabilities with Brier scores of 0.08 (preoperative), 0.07 (intraoperative), and 0.05 (postoperative)., Conclusions: ML models can accurately predict outcomes after infrainguinal bypass, outperforming logistic regression., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To analyze the outcomes of carotid endarterectomy in individuals with carotid artery stenosis in the context of a tertiary care center., Methods: We carried out a retrospective cohort investigation between 2015-2022. Patient data includes demographics, risk factors, preoperative medications, and operative details. The primary outcomes were 30-day postoperative stroke and mortality rates, while the secondary outcome of the study was to assess the morbidity of the procedure., Results: The mean age of the 54 patients was 66.9±9.88 years, and 57.4% were men. The 30-day stroke rate was 3.7%, and the mortality rate was 1.9%. Most patients did not develop postoperative complications; however, surgical site hematoma was the most common complication encountered (12.9%). Long-term follow-up showed disease regression in 68.5% of patients, with a minority of patients developing ipsilateral restenosis. Admission to an intensive care monitoring unit was the only independent predictor of postoperative complications., Conclusion: This study provided insights into the outcomes of carotid endarterectomy in patients with carotid artery stenosis, emphasizing the importance of careful patient selection and postoperative monitoring. Perioperative risks, including stroke and mortality, were within acceptable limits. Further research incorporating structured and non-structured data for predictive analyses, should explore refining patient profiling and optimizing treatment approaches for different carotid artery stenosis clinical and morphological presentations., (Copyright: © Saudi Medical Journal.)

Importance: Endovascular intervention for peripheral artery disease (PAD) carries nonnegligible perioperative risks; however, outcome prediction tools are limited., Objective: To develop machine learning (ML) algorithms that can predict outcomes following endovascular intervention for PAD., Design, Setting, and Participants: This prognostic study included patients who underwent endovascular intervention for PAD between January 1, 2004, and July 5, 2023, with 1 year of follow-up. Data were obtained from the Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI), a multicenter registry containing data from vascular surgeons and interventionalists at more than 1000 academic and community hospitals. From an initial cohort of 262 242 patients, 26 565 were excluded due to treatment for acute limb ischemia (n = 14 642) or aneurysmal disease (n = 3456), unreported symptom status (n = 4401) or procedure type (n = 2319), or concurrent bypass (n = 1747). Data were split into training (70%) and test (30%) sets., Exposures: A total of 112 predictive features (75 preoperative [demographic and clinical], 24 intraoperative [procedural], and 13 postoperative [in-hospital course and complications]) from the index hospitalization were identified., Main Outcomes and Measures: Using 10-fold cross-validation, 6 ML models were trained using preoperative features to predict 1-year major adverse limb event (MALE; composite of thrombectomy or thrombolysis, surgical reintervention, or major amputation) or death. The primary model evaluation metric was area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). After selecting the best performing algorithm, additional models were built using intraoperative and postoperative data., Results: Overall, 235 677 patients who underwent endovascular intervention for PAD were included (mean [SD] age, 68.4 [11.1] years; 94 979 [40.3%] female) and 71 683 (30.4%) developed 1-year MALE or death. The best preoperative prediction model was extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), achieving the following performance metrics: AUROC, 0.94 (95% CI, 0.93-0.95); accuracy, 0.86 (95% CI, 0.85-0.87); sensitivity, 0.87; specificity, 0.85; positive predictive value, 0.85; and negative predictive value, 0.87. In comparison, logistic regression had an AUROC of 0.67 (95% CI, 0.65-0.69). The XGBoost model maintained excellent performance at the intraoperative and postoperative stages, with AUROCs of 0.94 (95% CI, 0.93-0.95) and 0.98 (95% CI, 0.97-0.99), respectively., Conclusions and Relevance: In this prognostic study, ML models were developed that accurately predicted outcomes following endovascular intervention for PAD, which performed better than logistic regression. These algorithms have potential for important utility in guiding perioperative risk-mitigation strategies to prevent adverse outcomes following endovascular intervention for PAD.

Objective: Suprainguinal bypass for peripheral artery disease (PAD) carries important surgical risks; however, outcome prediction tools remain limited. We developed machine learning (ML) algorithms that predict outcomes following suprainguinal bypass., Methods: The Vascular Quality Initiative database was used to identify patients who underwent suprainguinal bypass for PAD between 2003 and 2023. We identified 100 potential predictor variables from the index hospitalization (68 preoperative [demographic/clinical], 13 intraoperative [procedural], and 19 postoperative [in-hospital course/complications]). The primary outcomes were major adverse limb events (MALE; composite of untreated loss of patency, thrombectomy/thrombolysis, surgical revision, or major amputation) or death at 1 year following suprainguinal bypass. Our data were split into training (70%) and test (30%) sets. Using 10-fold cross-validation, we trained six ML models using preoperative features (Extreme Gradient Boosting [XGBoost], random forest, Naïve Bayes classifier, support vector machine, artificial neural network, and logistic regression). The primary model evaluation metric was area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). The best performing algorithm was further trained using intra- and postoperative data. Model robustness was evaluated using calibration plots and Brier scores. Performance was assessed on subgroups based on age, sex, race, ethnicity, rurality, median Area Deprivation Index, symptom status, procedure type, prior intervention for PAD, concurrent interventions, and urgency., Results: Overall, 16,832 patients underwent suprainguinal bypass, and 3136 (18.6%) developed 1-year MALE or death. Patients with 1-year MALE or death were older (mean age, 64.9 vs 63.5 years; P < .001) with more comorbidities, had poorer functional status (65.7% vs 80.9% independent at baseline; P < .001), and were more likely to have chronic limb-threatening ischemia (67.4% vs 47.6%; P < .001) than those without an outcome. Despite being at higher cardiovascular risk, they were less likely to receive acetylsalicylic acid or statins preoperatively and at discharge. Our best performing prediction model at the preoperative stage was XGBoost, achieving an AUROC of 0.92 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.91-0.93). In comparison, logistic regression had an AUROC of 0.67 (95% CI, 0.65-0.69). Our XGBoost model maintained excellent performance at the intra- and postoperative stages, with AUROCs of 0.93 (95% CI, 0.92-0.94) and 0.98 (95% CI, 0.97-0.99), respectively. Calibration plots showed good agreement between predicted and observed event probabilities with Brier scores of 0.12 (preoperative), 0.11 (intraoperative), and 0.10 (postoperative). Of the top 10 predictors, nine were preoperative features including chronic limb-threatening ischemia, previous procedures, comorbidities, and functional status. Model performance remained robust on all subgroup analyses., Conclusions: We developed ML models that accurately predict outcomes following suprainguinal bypass, performing better than logistic regression. Our algorithms have potential for important utility in guiding perioperative risk mitigation strategies to prevent adverse outcomes following suprainguinal bypass., Competing Interests: Disclosures None., (Copyright © 2023 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background Enuresis, or bedwetting, is a common condition affecting millions of children worldwide. This can be a source of distress for both children and their families. Children, adolescents, and young adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at risk of developing enuresis. They have difficulties with executive functioning, including impulse control and emotional regulation. These difficulties may contribute to the development of enuresis, as individuals may struggle to recognize the urge to use the bathroom or have difficulty controlling their bladder during sleep. Objective To assess the prevalence of enuresis in children, adolescents, and young adults with ADHD and determine whether the presence of other behavioral disorders such anxiety, depression, learning disabilities, and autism comorbid with ADHD is a risk factor for developing enuresis. Method A case-control study included 213 children, adolescents, and young adults aged seven to 23 years, with 139 males and 74 females. A total of 161 participants were diagnosed with ADHD. Data collection consisted of a semi-structured interview conducted with each participant or their parents in person during their visit to Developmental Pediatric Clinics and Psychiatry Clinics. The questions were designed to collect data on the participant's ADHD diagnosis, enuresis history, other behavioral disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and learning difficulties, and any relevant medical or developmental history. The interview lasted approximately 30 minutes. Results Children, adolescents, and young adults with ADHD had a significantly higher prevalence of enuresis than the control group (13.6% vs. 0.9%, p = 0.01). Other behavioral disorders comorbid with ADHD did not pose a statistically significant risk for the development of enuresis (p = 0.36). Conclusions This study supports that children, adolescents, and young adults diagnosed with ADHD are more likely to have enuresis than those without ADHD. This finding is consistent with previous research and emphasizes the importance of a thorough evaluation and comprehensive treatment plan for individuals with ADHD., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2024, Aljabri et al.)

Objective: Prediction of outcomes following open abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair remains challenging with a lack of widely used tools to guide perioperative management. We developed machine learning (ML) algorithms that predict outcomes following open AAA repair., Methods: The Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI) database was used to identify patients who underwent elective open AAA repair between 2003 and 2023. Input features included 52 preoperative demographic/clinical variables. All available preoperative variables from VQI were used to maximize predictive performance. The primary outcome was in-hospital major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE; composite of myocardial infarction, stroke, or death). Secondary outcomes were individual components of the primary outcome, other in-hospital complications, and 1-year mortality and any reintervention. We split our data into training (70%) and test (30%) sets. Using 10-fold cross-validation, six ML models were trained using preoperative features (Extreme Gradient Boosting [XGBoost], random forest, Naïve Bayes classifier, support vector machine, artificial neural network, and logistic regression). The primary model evaluation metric was area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). Model robustness was evaluated with calibration plot and Brier score. The top 10 predictive features in our final model were determined based on variable importance scores. Performance was assessed on subgroups based on age, sex, race, ethnicity, rurality, median area deprivation index, proximal clamp site, prior aortic surgery, and concomitant procedures., Results: Overall, 12,027 patients were included. The primary outcome of in-hospital MACE occurred in 630 patients (5.2%). Compared with patients without a primary outcome, those who developed in-hospital MACE were older with more comorbidities, demonstrated poorer functional status, had more complex aneurysms, and were more likely to require concomitant procedures. Our best performing prediction model for in-hospital MACE was XGBoost, achieving an AUROC of 0.93 (95% confidence interval, 0.92-0.94). Comparatively, logistic regression had an AUROC of 0.71 (95% confidence interval, 0.70-0.73). For secondary outcomes, XGBoost achieved AUROCs between 0.84 and 0.94. The calibration plot showed good agreement between predicted and observed event probabilities with a Brier score of 0.05. These findings highlight the excellent predictive performance of the XGBoost model. The top three predictive features in our algorithm for in-hospital MACE following open AAA repair were: (1) coronary artery disease; (2) American Society of Anesthesiologists classification; and (3) proximal clamp site. Model performance remained robust on all subgroup analyses., Conclusions: Open AAA repair outcomes can be accurately predicted using preoperative data with our ML models, which perform better than logistic regression. Our automated algorithms can help guide risk-mitigation strategies for patients being considered for open AAA repair to improve outcomes., (Copyright © 2023 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) carries important perioperative risks; however, there are no widely used outcome prediction tools. The aim of this study was to apply machine learning (ML) to develop automated algorithms that predict 1-year mortality following EVAR., Methods: The Vascular Quality Initiative database was used to identify patients who underwent elective EVAR for infrarenal AAA between 2003 and 2023. Input features included 47 preoperative demographic/clinical variables. The primary outcome was 1-year all-cause mortality. Data were split into training (70 per cent) and test (30 per cent) sets. Using 10-fold cross-validation, 6 ML models were trained using preoperative features with logistic regression as the baseline comparator. The primary model evaluation metric was area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). Model robustness was evaluated with calibration plot and Brier score., Results: Some 63 655 patients were included. One-year mortality occurred in 3122 (4.9 per cent) patients. The best performing prediction model for 1-year mortality was XGBoost, achieving an AUROC (95 per cent c.i.) of 0.96 (0.95-0.97). Comparatively, logistic regression had an AUROC (95 per cent c.i.) of 0.69 (0.68-0.71). The calibration plot showed good agreement between predicted and observed event probabilities with a Brier score of 0.04. The top 3 predictive features in the algorithm were 1) unfit for open AAA repair, 2) functional status, and 3) preoperative dialysis., Conclusions: In this data set, machine learning was able to predict 1-year mortality following EVAR using preoperative data and outperformed standard logistic regression models., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of BJS Society Ltd. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: This study aimed to compare the outcomes of the percutaneous femoral access and open surgical cutdown access approaches in patients undergoing thoracic/abdominal endovascular aortic repair., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 59 patients who underwent a thoracic/abdominal endovascular aortic repair at a single tertiary care hospital between 2015 and 2022. Based on their femoral access type, the patients were categorized into the "percutaneous" or "cutdown" groups. Using a computerized sheet, relevant patient data (including demographic information and patient risk factors) were collected. The operative duration, complication rates, mortality rates, intensive care unit admission and stay durations, and total hospital stay were compared between the two groups. The primary outcomes were differences in the postoperative morbidity and mortality associated with the two approaches., Results: The cutdown and percutaneous groups comprised 24 (41%) and 35 (59%) patients, respectively. The two groups displayed comparable demographic and clinical characteristics (p > 0.05). However, the vascular anatomy differed with the common femoral artery diameter being larger in the percutaneous group compared to the cutdown group (9.63 ± 1.81 mm vs. 8.49 ± 1.54 mm, p = 0.028). The ratio of the sheath diameter to the common femoral artery diameter was significantly lower in the percutaneous group than in the cutdown group (0.73 ± 0.16 vs. 0.85 ± 0.20, p = 0.027). A ratio of ≥0.74 was associated with a higher risk of complications (odds ratio, 12.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.4-102.2; p = 0.023) and mortality (odds ratio, 5.79; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-29.6; p = 0.035). Additionally, the operative duration was significantly shorter in the percutaneous group than in the cutdown group (141.43 ± 97.05 min vs. 218.46 ± 126.31 min, p = 0.001). Compared to the cutdown group, the percutaneous group experienced a shorter total hospital stay (21.54 ± 21.49 days vs. 11.60 ± 12.09 days, p = 0.022) and lower intensive care unit-admission rates (66.7% vs. 40%, p = 0.044)., Conclusion: The percutaneous approach is a viable and more time-efficient alternative to the traditional cutdown method for delivering vascular endografts. It is associated with a significantly shorter operative duration and briefer hospital stays. Additionally, the ratio of the sheath diameter to the common femoral artery diameter can help surgeons preoperatively predict and anticipate the risks of complications and mortality. Future in-depth research is necessary to better understand the association between this ratio and postoperative outcomes and complications.

Iatrogenic arteriovenous (AV) fistula is a rare complication of lumbar disc surgery. We report a 38-year-old man who presented with bilateral lower limb venous ulcerations and was diagnosed with an AV fistula from previous L4-L5 laminectomy between the right common iliac artery and left common iliac vein, which was successfully treated using an endovascular stent graft.

Carotid body tumors (CBTs) are rare and mostly benign. Research outcomes usually arise from single-center data. We conducted this study to present the characteristics and outcomes of patients who underwent surgical resection of CBT at our hospital over the past 20 years. In this retrospective review, the records of CBTs in our hospital were reviewed between 1998 and 2021. All patients who underwent CBT resection were included. The follow-up period was 12 months. A total of 44 CBTs were treated in our hospital. The male-to-female ratio was 1:2.4. Only 4.5% of patients had Shamblin I tumors. Patients with Shamblin II and III tumors were 56.8% and 38.6%, respectively. Duplex scan was used to diagnose CBT in all of the patients. The majority of our patients (97.7%) did not receive any preoperative embolization despite an average tumor size of 4.9 cm. Cranial nerve injuries were observed in 29.5% of cases. Meanwhile, stroke was reported in only two cases (4.5%). No deaths were encountered. Surgery is the definitive treatment for CBT. Size and local extension appear to be the main reasons for adverse events rather than surgical techniques. Our results are consistent with those of previously published studies. Good outcomes are expected in high-volume centers with appropriate preoperative imaging., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2022 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Objectives: To outline our experience with both arterial vascular thoracic outlet syndrome (ATOS) and venous TOS (VTOS)., Methods: This was a retrospective review carried out at King Saud University Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 1992-2022. All patients were diagnosed based on clinical presentation, imaging, and underwent surgical decompression solely via the supraclavicular approach. The median follow-up period was 18 months (range: 4-36 months)., Results: A total of 90 limbs were diagnosed with vascular TOS in 69 patients. Females accounted for 69.6% of the patients and approximately 86.7% had ATOS. All patients were symptomatic and underwent plain thoracic inlet and cervical spine radiography, along with duplex scans in both rest and provocative positions. Total cervical rib resection was carried out in 60% of cases, while 2% had partial resection. First rib resection was carried out in 13.3% of cases and combined cervical and first rib resections were carried out in 23.3%. Vascular procedures were needed for arterial repair in 20% of cases, while venous repair were carried out in 2.2%. No recurrence or post-operative mortality had been reported. Post-operative complications were observed in 18.9% of cases., Conclusion: Careful patient selection and diagnosis using advanced, but less invasive radiological imaging coupled with adequate surgical treatment can improve the patient's outcome., (Copyright: © Saudi Medical Journal.)

BACKGROUND Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has a tremendous impact on the respiratory tract. In severe COVID-19 infections, patients may experience shock and multiple organ failure. We described 4 cases of severe arterial thrombosis induced by COVID-19 with and without other stressors and their responses to treatment measures. CASE REPORT In Case 1, a 61-year-old man was hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia 2 weeks prior to the presentation of acute upper-limb ischemia after intravenous forearm line insertion. He was classified as IIB and thus underwent emergency thrombectomy followed by 3 months of enoxaparin. Case 2 was a 41-year-old female patient with granulomatosis who was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit due to COVID-19 pneumonia and developed acute upper-limb ischemia. A medical approach using therapeutic heparin was used. Case 3 was a 65-year-old man who was admitted due to COVID-19-related pneumonia and was otherwise medically and surgically free. We assessed and managed a new onset of the lower-limb IIB acute limb ischemia (ALI). Case 4 was a patient with the first COVID-19 presentation of ALI, which was managed accordingly. CONCLUSIONS The development of a thrombotic event in patients with COVID-19 was previously reported. Moreover, different management options and outcomes have been reported in the literature. Therefore, careful planning is needed for procedures such as cannulation or central line insertion to prevent such events. In addition, short-term anticoagulation therapy might be of clinical benefit when planning a procedure or if the patient exhibits minor arterial complications.

Purpose: Pain management principles vary considerably between chronic noncancer, acute and cancer pain. Cancer patients responding to oncological treatment may live with low tumor burden for years. Opioid treatment should reflect that the ratio between benefits and risks in these patients is different from patients with a rapidly progressive disease. Our study investigated the prescription patterns of analgesics in patients who died 6 to 9 years after cancer diagnosis., Patients and Methods: A pharmaco-epidemiological study based on the Norwegian Prescription Database and Cancer Registry of Norway. The 1-year periodic prevalence of receiving different analgesics and of persistent opioid use were analyzed. Persistent opioid use was defined as >365 Defined Daily Doses or >9000 mg Oral Morphine Equivalents during 365 days with prescriptions in all quarters of the 365 days period. Data were reported for the first 7 years for patients who lived 8-9 years after cancer diagnosis (N = 1502), while for patients who lived 6-7 years (N = 3817) data was reported for the first 5 years after diagnosis., Results: Compared to age- and gender adjusted general population, the 1-year periodic prevalence of opioid prescription was doubled the first year after diagnosis and remained raised with approximately 50%. The prevalence of persistent opioid use was threefold of the general population. Approximately 55% of patients with persistent opioid use 4 years after a cancer diagnosis were co-medicated with high doses of benzodiazepines and/or benzodiazepine-related hypnotics., Conclusion: The findings of increased opioid use raise concerns regarding whether the benefits outweigh risks and side effects in this population., (© 2021 The Authors. Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: Diabetic foot ulcer, which often leads to lower limb amputation, is a devastating complication of diabetes that is a major burden on patients and the healthcare system. The main objective of this study is to determine the economic burden of diabetic foot ulcer-related care., Methods: We conducted a multicenter study of all diabetic foot ulcer patients admitted to general internal medicine wards at seven hospitals in the Greater Toronto Area, Canada from 2010 to 2015, using the GEMINI database. We compared the mean costs of care per patient for diabetic foot ulcer-related admissions, admissions for other diabetes-related complications, and admissions for the top five most costly general internal medicine conditions, using the Ontario Case Costing Initiative. Regression models were used to determine adjusted estimates of cost per patient. Propensity-score matched analyses were performed as sensitivity analyses., Results: Our study cohort comprised of 557 diabetic foot ulcer patients; 2939 non-diabetic foot ulcer diabetes patients; and 23,656 patients with the top 5 most costly general internal medicine conditions. Diabetic foot ulcer admissions incurred the highest mean cost per patient ($22,754) when compared to admissions with non-diabetic foot ulcer diabetes ($8,350) and the top five most costly conditions ($10,169). Using adjusted linear regression, diabetic foot ulcer admissions demonstrated a 49.6% greater mean cost of care than non-diabetic foot ulcer-related diabetes admissions (95% CI 1.14-1.58), and a 25.6% greater mean cost than the top five most costly conditions (95% CI 1.17-1.34). Propensity-scored matched analyses confirmed these results., Conclusion: Diabetic foot ulcer patients incur significantly higher costs of care when compared to admissions with non-diabetic foot ulcer-related diabetes patients, and the top five most costly general internal medicine conditions.

Background: Arterial pseudoaneurysms are a well-known complication resulting from procedures requiring arterial wall puncture. Previously, surgical repair was the definitive treatment option for arterial pseudoaneurysms despite being relatively invasive and time-consuming. Ultrasound-guided thrombin injection (UGTI) has become the standard of care since its initial description back in 1997. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of UGTI for the treatment of arterial pseudoaneurysms at the King Khalid University Hospital Vascular Lab., Methods: A retrospective analysis of prospectively maintained data was conducted on all patients diagnosed with arterial pseudoaneurysms by Doppler ultrasound between 2006 and 2019. Patients with large arterial pseudoaneurysms (>1.5 cm) qualified for thrombin injections. Individuals with a known hypersensitive to thrombin were excluded. All included patients were treated with UGTI until resolution and were followed at postoperative days 7 and 30., Results: In all, 35 patients qualified for thrombin injections. The mean age of the included patient population was 56.5 (range, 24-81) years. The majority of them were hypertensive (N.=26, 74.3%), and a quarter of them were on anticoagulant treatment (N.=9, 25%). The mean thrombin injection dose was 1000 U (range, 500-1500 U). In 34 of 35 (97.1%) patients, a thrombin injection resulted in complete thrombosis of the pseudoaneurysm lumen within a few seconds. There were no complications or recurrence of pseudoaneurysm after UGTI during the follow-up period., Conclusions: Throughout the study period of 14 years, we did not encounter any procedural complications or arterial pseudoaneurysm recurrence. This is attributed to a safe procedural technique and proper patient selection. UGTI for arterial pseudoaneurysms is a safe, successful, and convenient treatment for both patients and surgeons.

Background: Use of neuraxial anaesthesia for open abdominal aortic aneurysm repair is postulated to reduce mortality and morbidity. This study aimed to determine the 90-day outcomes after elective open abdominal aortic aneurysm repair in patients receiving combined general and neuraxial anaesthesia vs general anaesthesia alone., Methods: A retrospective population-based cohort study was conducted from 2003 to 2016. All patients ≥40 yr old undergoing open abdominal aortic aneurysm repair were included. The propensity score was used to construct inverse probability of treatment weighted regression models to assess differences in 90-day outcomes., Results: A total of 10 447 elective open abdominal aortic aneurysm repairs were identified; 9003 (86%) patients received combined general and neuraxial anaesthesia and 1444 (14%) received general anaesthesia alone. Combined anaesthesia was associated with significantly lower hazards for all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR]=0.47; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.37-0.61) and major adverse cardiovascular events (HR=0.72; 95% CI, 0.60-0.86). Combined patients were at lower odds for acute kidney injury (odds ratio [OR]=0.66; 95% CI, 0.49-0.89), respiratory failure (OR=0.41; 95% CI, 0.36-0.47), and limb complications (OR=0.30; 95% CI, 0.25-0.37), with higher odds of being discharged home (OR=1.32; 95% CI, 1.15-1.51). Combined anaesthesia was also associated with significant mechanical ventilation and ICU and hospital length of stay benefits., Conclusions: Combined general and neuraxial anaesthesia in elective open abdominal aortic aneurysm repair is associated with reduced 90-day mortality and morbidity. Neuraxial anaesthesia should be considered as a routine adjunct to general anaesthesia for elective open abdominal aortic aneurysm repair., (Copyright © 2020 British Journal of Anaesthesia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Owing to the lack of comparative evidence between the endovascular technologies for arteriovenous fistula (AVF) stenosis treatments, we sought to summarize the reported data comparing the effectiveness of different endovascular approaches for the treatment of AVF stenoses at the juxta-anastomotic site., Methods: We performed a systematic review in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases were searched from inception to June 12, 2018 for observational and randomized studies that had examined the effectiveness of AVF stenosis treatment using plain percutaneous balloon angioplasty (PTA), cutting balloon angioplasty, drug-eluting balloon (DEB) angioplasty, high-pressure balloon angioplasty, and stenting. Bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale for observational studies and the Cochrane Collaboration tool for randomized studies. Article screening, full-text review, assessment of bias, and data collection were conducted in duplicate, with a third reviewer to reconcile any discrepancies. We conducted a qualitative synthesis of the available evidence and a quantitative meta-analysis for the primary assisted patency outcome. The meta-analysis was conducted using Review Manager, version 5.3, using random effects models, with the I 2 statistic used to assess heterogeneity. Statistical significance was set at P < .05., Results: Our search yielded 3683 reports. Of these, three randomized trials and three observational studies were included. Three studies with 342 patients had described the effectiveness of high-pressure balloon angioplasty, conventional PTA, and stenting and had analyzed the data qualitatively. Three studies with 141 patients had investigated native AVF patency after DEB angioplasty and conventional PTA and were included in the meta-analysis. DEB angioplasty showed significantly greater primary assisted patency rates at 12 months after treatment compared with PTA (odds ratio, 3.66; 95% confidence interval, 1.32-10.14; I 2  = 49%). No statistically significant differences were found in 6-month primary assisted patency among the treatment groups (odds ratio, 2.03; 95% confidence interval, 0.64-6.45; I 2  = 50%). A total of 58 of 72 AVFs remained patent 6 months after DEB angioplasty compared with 45 of 69 at 6 months after PTA. At 12 months after treatment, 48 of 72 AVFs remained patent after DEB angioplasty compared with 23 of 69 AVFs after PTA., Conclusions: Our findings suggest DEB angioplasty is a more effective treatment option for AVF stenosis at the juxta-anastomotic site compared with PTA. Although DEB angioplasty might provide longer term patency than other endovascular treatments, further high-quality data are needed to confirm this finding., (Copyright © 2019 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The aromatase inhibitor letrozole (Femar ® /Femara ® ) and the aromatase inactivator exemestane (Aromasin ® ) differ in their biochemical effect on the aromatase enzyme. Letrozole is a competitive aromatase inhibitor while exemestane binds irreversibly to the aromatase enzyme. This pharmacological difference is of clinical interest since a lack of cross-resistance has been documented. It has been demonstrated in several clinical trials that exemestane may cause a disease regression following resistance to nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitors. The exact mechanism(s) behind this phenomenon is yet unknown. Here, we present the NEOLETEXE trial with the aim of exploring the individual mechanisms involved behind the observed lack of cross resistance. Clinical trial registration: The trial has been approved by the Regional Ethics Committee of South-East Norway (project number 2015/84).

Background:  Endovascular stent grafting has emerged as an option to treat traumatic aorta injuries with reported significantly low mortality and morbidity. Stent collapse is one of the complications that can occur in this type of treatment. The aim of this article is to analyze the expected cause of stent collapse and to draw attention to the importance of the surveillance follow-up, as this phenomenon may occur late postdeployment., Methods:  A retrospectively collected dataset from the two highest volume trauma centers in Saudi Arabia was analyzed between April 2007 and October 2012. A total of 66 patients received stent grafts for traumatic aortic injury and were included in the study. We apply Ishimaru's anatomical aortic arch zones and Benjamin's aortic injury grading systems. There were 35 patients with aortic injury at zone 2, 26 patients in zone 3, and 5 patients in zone 4. About 96% (63) of the injuries were grades 2 and 3, including large intimal flap or aortic wall pseudoaneurysm with change in wall contour. The technical success rate, as defined by complete exclusion of lesions without leaks, stroke, arm ischemia or stent-related complications, was 90%., Results:  Proximal stent collapse occurred in 4.5% of patients (3 of 66 inserted stents) during follow-up of 4 to 8 years (mean, 6 years). Patients with stent collapse tended to have an acute aortic arch angle with long-intraluminal stent lip, when compared with patients with noncollapsed stents. Intraluminal lip protrusion more than 10-mm increased collapse ( p  < 0.001). Stent-grafts sizes larger than 28 mm also demonstrated a higher collapse rate ( p  < 0.001)., Conclusions:  The risk of stent collapse appears related to poor apposition of the stent due to severe aortic arch angulation in young patients and to large stent sizes (>28 mm). Such age groups may have more anatomical and aortic size changes during the growth. Clinical and radiological surveillance is essential in follow-up after stent-graft treatment for traumatic aortic injury., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest related to this article., (Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.)

Background: The evolving clinical burden of limb loss secondary to diabetes and peripheral artery disease remains poorly characterized. We sought to examine secular trends in the rate of lower-extremity amputations related to diabetes, peripheral artery disease or both., Methods: We included all individuals aged 40 years and older who underwent lower-extremity amputations related to diabetes or peripheral artery disease in Ontario, Canada (2005-2016). We identified patients and amputations through deterministic linkage of administrative health databases. Quarterly rates (per 100 000 individuals aged ≥ 40 yr) of any (major or minor) amputation and of major amputations alone were calculated. We used time-series analyses with exponential smoothing models to characterize secular trends and forecast 2 years forward in time., Results: A total of 20 062 patients underwent any lower-extremity amputation, of which 12 786 (63.7%) underwent a major (above ankle) amputation. Diabetes was present in 81.8%, peripheral artery disease in 93.8%, and both diabetes and peripheral artery disease in 75.6%. The rate of any amputation initially declined from 9.88 to 8.62 per 100 000 between Q2 of 2005 and Q4 of 2010, but increased again by Q1 of 2016 to 10.0 per 100 000 ( p = 0.003). We observed a significant increase in the rate of any amputation among patients with diabetes, peripheral artery disease, and both diabetes and peripheral artery disease. Major amputations did not significantly change among patients with diabetes, peripheral artery disease or both., Interpretation: Lower-extremity amputations related to diabetes, peripheral artery disease or both have increased over the last decade. These data support renewed efforts to prevent and decrease the burden of limb loss., Competing Interests: Competing interests: Naveed Sattar reports personal fees from Amgen, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Napp Pharmaceuticals, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi, and grants and personal fees from Boehringer Ingelheim outside the submitted work. No other competing interests were declared., (© 2019 Joule Inc. or its licensors.)

Objective: To compare the long-term outcomes of patients treated with carotid endarterectomy and carotid-artery stenting., Background: Evidence for the long-term safety and efficacy of carotid-artery stenting compared with endarterectomy is accumulating from randomized trials. However, comparative data on the long-term outcomes of carotid revascularization strategies in real world practice are lacking., Methods: We conducted a population-based, multicenter, observational cohort study using validated linked databases from Ontario, Canada. We identified all individuals treated with carotid endarterectomy and stenting (2002-2014), and followed them up to 2015. We compared long-term (up to 13 years) and 30-day outcomes of each strategy using multilevel multivariable Cox proportional-hazards models, and conducted confirmatory analyses using propensity-score matching methods., Results: In all, 15,525 patients received carotid-artery revascularization. Rate of the primary composite outcome of 30-day death, stroke, or myocardial infarction plus any stroke during 13-year follow-up was higher with stenting (16.3%) compared with endarterectomy (9.7%) [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.57, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.43-1.73, P < 0.001). The increased risk with stenting was observed regardless of age, sex, intervention year, carotid-artery symptoms, or diabetes. The primary outcome was driven by higher rates of 30-day stroke (adjusted HR 1.59, 95% CI 1.29-1.95), 30-day death (adjusted HR 2.62, 95% CI 2.20-3.13), and long-term stroke >30 days after the procedure (adjusted HR 1.47, 95% CI 1.36-1.59) with stenting; 30-day myocardial infarction was lower with stenting (adjusted HR 0.70, 95% CI 0.57-0.86). These results were confirmed with 1:2 propensity-score matching (HR for primary composite outcome with stenting 1.55, 95% CI 1.31-1.83, P < 0.001)., Conclusions: Compared with carotid endarterectomy, stenting was associated with an early and sustained approximately 55% increased hazard for major adverse events over long-term follow-up. Although nonrandomized, these results raise potential concerns about the interchangeability of carotid endarterectomy and stenting in the context of actual clinical practice.

Background and Purpose: Randomized trials provide conflicting data for the efficacy of carotid-artery stenting compared with endarterectomy. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of conflicting clinical trial publications on the utilization rates of carotid revascularization procedures., Methods: We conducted a population-level time-series analysis of all individuals who underwent carotid endarterectomy and stenting in Ontario, Canada (2002-2014). The primary analysis examined temporal changes in the rates of carotid revascularization procedures after publications of major randomized trials. Secondary analyses examined changes in overall and age, sex, carotid-artery symptom, and operator specialty-specific procedure rates., Results: A total of 16 772 patients were studied (14 394 endarterectomy [86%]; 2378 stenting [14%]). The overall rate of carotid revascularization decreased from 6.0 procedures per 100 000 individuals ≥40 years old in April 2002 to 4.3 procedures in the first quarter of 2014 (29% decrease; P<0.001). The rate of endarterectomy decreased by 36% (P<0.001), whereas the rate of carotid-artery stenting increased by 72% (P=0.006). We observed a marked increase (P=0.01) in stenting after publication of the SAPPHIRE trial (Stenting and Angioplasty With Protection in Patients at High Risk for Endarterectomy) in 2004, whereas stenting remained relatively unchanged after subsequent randomized trials published in 2006 (P=0.11) and 2010 (P=0.34). In contrast, endarterectomy decreased after trials published in 2006 (P=0.04) and 2010 (P=0.005)., Conclusions: Although the overall rates of carotid revascularization and endarterectomy have fallen since 2002, the rate of carotid-artery stenting has risen since the publication of stenting-favorable SAPPHIRE trial. Subsequent conflicting randomized trials were associated with a decreasing rate of carotid endarterectomy., (© 2016 The Authors.)

Two distinct terms are used to describe vascular thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) depending on which structure is predominantly affected: venous TOS (due to subclavian vein compression) and arterial TOS (due to subclavian artery compression). Although the venous and arterial subtypes of TOS affect only 3% and <1% of all TOS patients respectively, the diagnostic and management approaches to venous and arterial TOS have undergone considerable evolution due to the recent emergence of minimally invasive endovascular techniques such as catheter-directed arterial and venous thrombolysis, and balloon angioplasty. In this review, we discuss the anatomical factors, etiology, pathogenesis and clinical presentation of vascular TOS patients. In addition, we use the most up to date observational evidence available to provide a contemporary approach to the diagnosis and management of venous TOS and arterial TOS patients., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aneurysms of the foot arteries are uncommon but can lead to devastating complications such as acute foot ischemia or arterial rupture if left untreated. In this case series, we present four cases of aneurysms of the foot: one true dorsalis pedis artery aneurysm and three cases of post-traumatic plantar artery pseudoaneurysms with arteriovenous fistulas. All four patients were successfully managed with surgical excision of the aneurysm with or without arteriovenous fistulas ligation. Our case series is followed by discussion on the etiology, clinical presentation and management strategy of patients with aneurysms of the foot arteries., (© The Author(s) 2015.)

Objectives: Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) consists of a group of distinct disorders that are caused by compression of the brachial plexus and/or subclavian artery and vein. The aim of this study was to highlight the different modalities of diagnosing and treating vascular TOS and evaluate outcomes., Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study between 1999 and 2011 using the medical records database from a teaching hospital., Results: During the study period, 54 cases with vascular TOS were identified in 38 patients. Bilateral TOS was in 16 patients. The median age of the patients was 33 years (range 12-49), and the majority (79%) were female. Arterial TOS represented forty-nine cases (90.7%). Preoperative information derived from plain x-ray, duplex scanning and in selected cases computed tomography (CT) and/or angiography. Decompression of the TOS was performed through a supraclavicular approach in all cases with scalenectomy coupled with either cervical rib excision (70%), 1st rib excision alone (15%) and excision of both cervical and 1st ribs (15%). Adjunctive vascular reconstructive procedures were done in 11 cases (20.3%); 9 arterial cases and 2 venous cases. There was no mortality; however, postoperative complications occurred in 7 cases (13%)., Conclusion: The use of advanced radiological imaging and careful surgical planning for Vascular TOS in a high volume center resulted in good outcomes.

Background: Current limitations to the experimentation on patients with peripheral arterial disease push the development of different preclinical strategies. We investigated both duration of ischemia and blood flow recovery in mouse models of partial femoral artery ligation., Methods: Male BALB/c mice were used. The ligation over needle method involved placing a suture needle over the femoral artery, ligating over it and then removing the needle. The transfixation method involved transfixing the approximate center of the femoral artery and then tying the suture. Laser Doppler Perfusion Imaging was used to assess perfusion every 3rd day until 42 days after the procedure., Results: Ligation over needle method: Immediately post procedure, mean perfusion was -71.87% ± 4.43. Then mean difference in perfusion remained below the base line reading on days 3, 6, 9, and 12. From day 15 on wards mean perfusion progressively improved remaining near base line. Transfixation Method: Immediately post procedure mean perfusion was -70.82% ± 4.73. Mean perfusion improved following the procedure on days 3 and 6; a plateau followed this on days 9, 12 and 15. From day 15 onwards perfusion progressively improved remaining well below base line until crossing it on day 36., Conclusion: The currently described models do not pose major improvements over previously described methods.

Purpose: This study evaluated and compared changes over time in health-related quality of life reported by patients with infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) undergoing elective endovascular (EVAR) and open aneurysm (OR) repair., Methods: A prospective, nonrandomized cohort of 76 patients (62 men, 14 women; age range, 42 to 89 years) undergoing elective, infrarenal AAA repair (EVAR, n = 43; OR, n = 33) at two university teaching hospitals during a 15-month period were administered the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 36-item (SF-36) health survey preoperatively and then 1 week, 1 month, and 6 months postoperatively. Patient demographics, procedural details, postoperative follow-up data, and SF-36 scores were compared between groups., Results: Both groups had total SF-36 scores that were significantly lower than preoperative scores at 1 week and 1 month after surgery but were not significantly different from the preoperative scores at 6 months (OR 66.2 +/- 21.1 to 72.3 +/- 19.8, P > .1; and EVAR 61.0 +/- 17.7 to 58.7 +/- 19.4, P > .1). Six-month total SF-36 scores were significantly higher in the OR group compared with the EVAR group (mean 72.3 +/- 19.8 OR vs 58.7 +/- 19.4 EVAR; P = .009). In the postoperative period, a significant drop occurred in mean scores in six of the eight domains of the SF-36 in the OR patients (physical function, PF; role physical, RP; bodily pain, BP; vitality, VT; social function, SF; role emotional, RE) and five domains for EVAR patients (PF, RP, BP, SF, RE). In two domains, RE and PF, scores returned to baseline values significantly sooner in EVAR patients than in OR patients (RE, EVAR 1 month vs OR 6 months; and PF, EVAR 1 month vs OR 6 months). In the VT domain, no significant postoperative drop occurred in the EVAR group, but in the OR group, mean scores were significantly lower at 1 week and 1 month compared with preoperative values. In the domains of general health and mental health, no significant drop occurred in SF-36 score postoperatively in either group., Conclusions: Patient reported health-related quality of life after infrarenal AAA repair is significantly impaired in the early postoperative period but returns to baseline by 6 months in patients treated with EVAR and OR. Patients having EVAR had significantly more rapid return to preoperative scores in selected domains of the SF-36. Even though EVAR is associated with shorter and less invasive perioperative hospital course and fewer postoperative complications, EVAR patients had lower quality of life scores 6 months after surgery than OR patients.