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Vascular complications are one of the substantial complications of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Stent graft implantation is a powerful tool for managing them.

The association between gene variant rs7635818 located on chromosome 3p12.3 and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) was not unambiguously determined by the results of genome-wide association studies. The aim of our study was to examine this possible association in the Slovak population, with respect to the presence and severity of AAA. A cross-sectional study was conducted between August 2016 and March 2020. The study included 329 participans, 166 AAA patients and a control group of 163 subjects without confirmed AAA with comparable distribution of genders. The anteroposterior diameter of the abdominal aorta was determined by duplex ultrasonography. AAA was defined as subrenal aortic diameter = 30 mm. DNA samples were genotyped using real-time polymerase chain reaction and subsequent high-resolution melting analysis in presence of unlabelled probe. Genetic models studying the possible association were adjusted to age, sex, smoking, arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, creatinine and body mass index (BMI) in multivariate analysis. In the additive model, presence of each C-allele of rs7635818 polymorphism was associated with an almost 50 % increase in probability of developing AAA (OR 1.49; 95 % CI 1.06=2.08; p=0.020). Compared to GG homozygotes, CC homozygotes had more than two times higher risk of developing AAA (OR 2.23; 95 % CI 1.14=4.39; p=0.020). The risk of AAA was also in the recessive model higher for CC homozygotes compared to G-allele carriers (GC/GG) (OR 1.79; 95 %CI 1.01=3.19; p=0.047). The abdominal aortic diameter in CC homozygotes of the rs7635818 polymorphism was 7.66 mm greater compared to GG homozygotes (42.5±22.0 mm vs 34.8±21.3 mm; p=0.022) and 5.88 mm greater compared to G-allele carriers (GC/GG) (42.5±22.0 mm vs 36.6±21.0 mm; p=0.04) in univariate analysis. C-allele variant in rs7635818 G>C polymorphism is associated with a higher probability of developing AAA in the Slovak population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: A current and ongoing challenge is to reduce patient mortality after endovascular abdominal aortic repair (EVAR). This study aimed to assess the predictors of all-cause mortality after EVAR., Methods: Data regarding the demographic characteristics, comorbidities, laboratory values, selected anatomical factors, post-EVAR treatment, surveillance and complications of patients who underwent elective EVAR for non-ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) between January 2010 and January 2021 were evaluated. Mortality was assessed until 10 October 2023. Multivariate analyses were performed after adjusting for age, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidaemia, sex, smoking, number of lumbar arteries, patency of inferior mesenteric artery (IMA), IMA diameter and reinterventions., Results: This study included 196 patients (183 men and 13 women) with a mean age of 72.4 ± 7.67 years. The overall mortality rate during a mean follow-up period of 5.75 ± 3.1 years was 50.0% ( N = 98). The 2-, 5- and 10-year mortality rates were 9.7%, 32.0% and 66.6%, respectively. The mortality rates decreased by 59% in patients with reinterventions (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.41; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.23-0.73; p = .002) and by 59% in patients treated with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) (HR: 0.41; 95% CI: 0.26-0.66; p < .001). Chronic anticoagulation was associated with 2.09-fold higher mortality (HR: 2.09; 95% CI: 1.19-3.67; p = .010), and coronary artery disease (CAD) was associated with 1.74-fold higher mortality (HR: 1.74; 95% CI: 1.09-2.78; p = .021). Pre-EVAR AAA diameter and 1-year post-EVAR sac diameter were positively associated with mortality (HR: 1.05; 95% CI: 1.03-1.08; p < .001, and HR: 1.05; 95% CI: 1.03-1.07; p < .001, respectively), that is, an increase of pre-EVAR and/or 1-year post-EVAR AAA diameter by 1 mm was associated with a 5% higher risk of all-cause mortality., Conclusions: Reinterventions and treatment with ACE inhibitors or ARBs may be associated with decreased post-EVAR mortality. A greater pre-EVAR, a post-EVAR AAA diameter, CAD and chronic anticoagulation were associated with higher all-cause mortality post-EVAR., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.