Journal of vascular surgery
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Comparative Study
Arm vein conduit vs prosthetic graft in infrainguinal revascularization for critical leg ischemia.
One-piece great saphenous vein (GSV) is the conduit of choice in infrainguinal revascularizations for critical limb ischemia (CLI). Unfortunately, adequate length of usable GSV is not always available. Despite inferior patency rates compared with GSV, prosthetic and arm vein conduits are generally considered usable. The purpose of this study was to compare the outcome of infrainguinal arm vein and prosthetic bypass. ⋯ Arm vein conduits, even when spliced, are superior to prosthetic grafts in terms of midterm assisted primary patency, secondary patency, and leg salvage in infrapopliteal bypasses for CLI.
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This study was conducted to identify risk factors for late mortality after thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR). ⋯ Preoperative leukocytosis, aneurysm diameter, and concurrent debranching independently predict late mortality irrespective of clinical presentation and may assist in risk stratification.
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
CAPTURE 2 risk-adjusted stroke outcome benchmarks for carotid artery stenting with distal embolic protection.
Many medical procedures undergo rapid evolution and process of care improvements after introduction. National outcome standards are useful to help physicians, institutions, and other stakeholders evaluate the quality of their programs and take action when suboptimal outcomes are identified. The purpose of this analysis was to derive contemporary risk-adjusted stroke rates from a large, contemporary, independently assessed outcome database within 30 days after carotid artery stenting (CAS) in the United States. ⋯ CAS outcomes in patients at high surgical risk have comparable periprocedural outcomes to published randomized trials of endarterectomy for patients at standard surgical risk. A model is presented for calculating a contemporary national standard for risk-adjusted stroke rates. Quality improvement measures could be based on relative performance to this benchmark and could improve overall outcomes for patients undergoing CAS.
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New training paradigms in vascular surgery necessitate medical student interest in vascular disease. We examined the effects of incorporation of a vascular disease educational program during the second year of the medical school curriculum on student acquisition of knowledge and interest in the treatment of vascular disease. ⋯ A vascular disease educational program administered to second-year medical students increases interest in vascular disease and interest in further training. The increased interest translates to greater student enrollment in the vascular surgery clerkship in the subsequent academic year.
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The Revised Cardiac Risk Index (RCRI) is a widely used model for predicting cardiac events after noncardiac surgery. We compared the accuracy of the RCRI with a new, vascular surgery-specific model developed from patients within the Vascular Study Group of New England (VSGNE). ⋯ The RCRI substantially underestimates in-hospital cardiac events in patients undergoing elective or urgent vascular surgery, especially after LEB, EVAR, and OAAA. The VSG-CRI more accurately predicts in-hospital cardiac events after vascular surgery and represents an important tool for clinical decision making.