Vascular
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Comparative Study
Perspectives on endovascular training in traditional 5+2 vascular surgery fellowship training programs.
This study aimed to compare expectations and experiences of fellows to those of faculty in vascular surgery fellowship programs with regard to endovascular training. Anonymous surveys were sent to fellows (n = 235) and program directors (n = 147), with 79 fellows and 65 faculty members responding. Fellows noted higher expectations of their endovascular skills prior to starting fellowship than the faculty group reported expecting. ⋯ In conclusion, incoming fellows in vascular surgery fellowship programs have high expectations of themselves, but may overestimate their actual pre-training endovascular skills. Fellows desire more structured endovascular training, which is not recognized by faculty. Endovascular simulators are valued, but may not be a significant draw in the match process.
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Case Reports
Epileptiform activity during induction of anesthesia with sevoflurane prior to elective carotid endarterectomy.
The optimal anesthetic technique for carotid endarterectomy is still controversial. For general anesthesia, various induction agents have been used. ⋯ This phenomenon, however, has not been previously described during electroencephalogram monitoring in carotid surgery. The authors suggest that induction anesthesia with sevoflurane should be avoided in this patient population especially where routine electroencephalogram monitoring is not performed.
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Letter Case Reports
Aneurysm of an aberrant splenic artery: An extremely rare occurrence.
An aberrant splenic artery arising from the superior mesenteric artery, also known as the splenomesenteric trunk, is a rare anatomical variant seen in less than 1% of the population and is more common in females. Aneurysms of the splenic artery originating anomalously from the superior mesenteric artery are extremely rare; only 35 cases of aneurysm of an aberrant splenic artery have been described so far in the English medical literature. ⋯ Exploring these variations is important especially if surgical intervention is contemplated. This could greatly affect the surgical planning and avoid injuries to major arteries and organs intraoperatively.
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This study examines the predictive value of intensive care unit (ICU) scoring systems in a vascular ICU population. ⋯ The good discrimination of these scoring systems indicates their value as an adjunct to clinical assessment but should not be used on an individual basis as a clinical decision-making tool.
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Observation may be an inadequate approach for injured extremities with single tibial vessel run-off.
Trauma patients with sudden loss of distal perfusion due to tibial injuries are frequently not offered vascular interventions if a single vessel retains patency. We hypothesized that sudden loss of either all or some tibial vasculature would result in increased non-operative failure and higher amputation rates. ⋯ Patients who failed an initial trial of observation were significantly more likely to have 0 or 1 tibial vessels patent. The number of open tibial vessels is significantly associated with limb salvage.