European journal of vascular and endovascular surgery : the official journal of the European Society for Vascular Surgery
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Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg · Mar 2017
Review Meta AnalysisVenous Arterialisation for Salvage of Critically Ischaemic Limbs: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Critical limb ischaemia (CLI) is the end stage of peripheral artery disease (PAD) and is associated with high amputation and mortality rates and poor quality of life. For CLI patients with no revascularisation options, venous arterialisation could be a last resort for limb salvage. ⋯ In this systematic review on venous arterialisation in patients with non-reconstructable critical limb ischaemia, the pooled proportion of limb salvage at 12 months was 75%. Venous arterialisation could be a valuable treatment option in patients facing amputation of the affected limb; however, the current evidence is of low quality.
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Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg · Mar 2017
Predicting the Need for Intra-operative Large Volume Blood Transfusions During Thoraco-abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair.
Thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA) repair is a complex procedure performed in patients at high cardiovascular risk. High volume intra-operative bleeding is often recorded, and the amount of intra-operative blood product transfusion is associated with relevant morbidity and mortality. The aim of the study was to identify pre-operative predictors of intra-operative large volume blood transfusions (LVBT) to stratify patients pre-operatively. ⋯ The identification of patients at risk of intra-operative LVBT during TAAA surgery is critical as these patients experience a worse outcome. Nevertheless, only few independent predictors are available for clinical practice.