Vascular
-
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a preoperative standardized cardiac assessment in patients undergoing major vascular surgery. From January 2005 to December 2006, 1446 elective interventions for major vascular diseases (carotid stenosis, CS; abdominal aortic aneurysm, AAA; peripheral arterial obstructive disease, PAOD) were performed; 1090 out of these patients underwent preoperative diagnostic assessment on an outpatient basis. Thirty-day results in terms of cardiac mortality and morbidity rates were recorded. ⋯ A positive preoperative non-invasive stress testing did not affect 30-day cardiac outcomes. In conclusion, the use of an accurate preoperative cardiac assessment allowed us to obtain satisfactory perioperative results in patients undergoing major vascular surgery. Routine preoperative evaluation with non-invasive stress testing did not seem to improve perioperative cardiac results.
-
Comparative Study
Cerebral oximetry and stump pressure as indicators for shunting during carotid endarterectomy: comparative evaluation.
The purpose of this work is to investigate the correlation between regional oxygen saturation (rSO(2)) changes and stump pressure (SP) during cross-clamping of the internal carotid artery in carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and verify the perspectives of rSO(2) to become a criterion for shunting. Sixty consecutive CEAs under general anesthesia were studied prospectively. Selective shunting was based on SP ≤40 mmHg exclusively. ⋯ A quadratic association between ΔrSO(2)(%) and SP was documented regarding the baseline to one and five minutes after cross-clamping intervals. A cut-off of 21 and 10.1% reduction from the baseline recording was identified as optimal for the distinction between patients needed or not a shunt regarding the first and fifth minute after cross-clamping, respectively. In conclusion, cerebral oximety reflects sufficiently cerebral oxygenation during CEA compared with SP, providing a useful mean for cerebral monitoring.
-
Injuries to the branches of the aortic arch are rare and may be caused by blunt, penetrating, blast or iatrogenic trauma. Innominate vascular injury is a rare entity, particularly in blunt trauma. It is estimated that 71% of patients with innominate injuries die before arrival at the hospital. We report here a successfully managed case of a combined blunt trauma of the innominate artery and transection of the left innominate vein after blunt injury to the chest.
-
The aim was to present a technical modification to the 'funnel technique' that allows endovascular repair of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms with an ectatic neck. The body of the Excluder endograft is opened inside the aneurysm, using the slow deployment technique, stopping as soon as the contralateral limb is open. The gate is cannulated in the usual fashion. ⋯ At this point, the ipsilateral iliac leg is deployed and the thoracic endograft can be positioned through the abdominal component. Finally, the contralateral iliac leg is deployed. The technique described offers a simple method to treat aortic abdominal aneurysms with an ectatic neck by positioning a bifurcated abdominal graft in such a way that subsequent insertion of the thoracic component is facilitated.
-
Surgical training in the USA and Europe has undergone radical changes with respect to working patterns, culture and limitation on working hours in recent years. Many surgeons who trained prior to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) duty-hour restrictions have expressed concern that surgeons currently exiting from training may not have had the same operative experience as in the pre-ACGME era. These concerns are particularly relevant in vascular surgery with the prevalence of endovascular therapies reducing the exposure of trainees to more traditional open vascular operations. ⋯ This article highlights the growing need for open vascular simulation as exposure to complex open vascular operations diminishes. The culture of, 'see one, do one, teach one' is fast becoming replaced by 'do many on a simulator, attain competency then perform under supervision in the operating room'. This will only be successfully achieved by the widespread incorporation of open vascular simulation into current vascular training programs if work hours remain limited and endovascular modalities continue to replace traditional open operations.