Dominic A. DeLaurentis

Venous aneurysms : surgical indications and review of the literature

BACKGROUND During the last 20 years we diagnosed five cases of venous aneurysm of the jugular (n = 4) and basilic (n = 1) veins. The purpose of this report was to determine the natural history and indications for surgery of venous aneurysms. METHODS Our five cases were included in an English-language literature review performed through August 1993. RESULTS In our series two aneurysms (one external jugular vein, one basilic vein) were excised for cosmetic reasons. Three internal jugular vein aneurysms were followed up for up to 4 years without complications with serial color duplex ultrasonography. Of 32 patients with abdominal venous aneurysms (18 portal, seven inferior vena cava, four superior mesenteric, two splenic, one internal iliac), 13 (41%) had major complications including five deaths. Of 31 patients with deep venous aneurysms of the extremity (29 popliteal, two common femoral), 22 (71%) had deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism and in 17 recurrent deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism developed when patients were treated with anticoagulation alone. CONCLUSIONS Prophylactic surgery is cautiously recommended for low-risk patients with venous aneurysms of the abdomen and strongly recommended for most patients with lower extremity deep venous aneurysms. Other venous aneurysms should be excised only if they are symptomatic, enlarging, or disfiguring.

Impact of clinical pathways on hospital costs and early outcome after major vascular surgery

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to determine whether major vascular surgery could be performed safely and with significant hospital cost savings by decreasing length of stay and implementation of vascular clinical pathways. METHODS Morbidity, mortality, readmission rates, same-day admissions, length of stay, and hospital costs were compared between patients who were electively admitted between September 1, 1992, and August 30, 1993 (group 1), and January 1 to December 31, 1994 (group 2), for extracranial, infrarenal abdominal aortic, and lower extremity arterial surgery. For group 2 patients, vascular critical pathways were instituted, a dedicated vascular ward was established, and outpatient preoperative arteriography and anesthesiology-cardiology evaluations were performed. Length-of-stay goals were 1 day for extracranial, 5 days for aortic, and 2 to 5 days for lower extremity surgery. Emergency admissions, inpatients referred for vascular surgery, patients transferred from other hospitals, and patients who required prolonged preoperative treatment were excluded. RESULTS With this strategy same-day admissions were significantly increased (80% [145/177] vs 6.2% [9/145]) (p < 0.0001), and average length of stay was significantly decreased (3.8 vs 8.8 days) (p < 0.0001) in group 2 versus group 1, respectively. There were no significant differences between group 1 and group 2 in terms of overall mortality rate (2.1% [3/145] vs 2.3% [4/177]), cardiac (3.4% [5/145] vs 4.0% [7/177]), pulmonary (4.1% [6/145] vs 1.7% [3/177]), or neurologic (1.4% [2/145] vs 0% [0/177]) complications, or readmission within 30 days (11.3% [16/142] vs 9.2% [16/173]) (p > 0.05). There were also no differences in morbidity or mortality rates when each type of surgery was compared. Annual hospital cost savings totalled

Congenitally absent inferior vena cava presenting in adulthood with venous stasis and ulceration: A surgically treated case

1,267,445. CONCLUSION Same-day admission and early hospital discharge for patients undergoing elective major vascular surgery can result in significant hospital cost savings without apparent increase in morbidity or mortality rates.

Are gram-negative bacteria a contraindication to selective preservation of infected prosthetic arterial grafts?

Absence of the inferior vena cava (IVC) is an uncommon congenital abnormality. Symptoms of lower extremity venous insufficiency resulting from this anatomic abnormality have been reported only once in the English literature, and no experience with surgical treatment of this condition has been published. We report the case of an otherwise healthy 41-year-old man with an 18-month history of severe venous insufficiency involving the right leg manifested by extensive ulceration that did not respond to aggressive conservative treatment. Duplex findings were not suggestive of venous obstruction or reflux, but venography documented no filling of the common iliac vein or inferior vena cava, and outflow was via collaterals to the azygous and hemiazygous systems. Computed tomography demonstrated complete absence of the inferior vena cava with azygous continuation. A prosthetic bypass from the external iliac to the intrathoracic azygous vein was performed with complete symptomatic relief after a 30-month follow-up period. Venous bypass surgery may play a role in treatment of this rare cause of venous insufficiency.

Arterial and ischemic aspects of total knee arthroplasty.

Management of infected prosthetic arterial grafts has traditionally included total graft excision especially when gram-negative bacteria were cultured. Between 1973 and 1991 we treated 42 patients with infected prosthetic grafts (33 polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), 9 Dacron) by complete graft preservation when the graft was patent, the anastomoses were intact, and the patient did not have sepsis. The infection involved the anastomosis (36 cases) or the body (6 cases) of 33 peripheral grafts and the distal segment of five aortofemoral and four iliac-distal grafts. Cultures of the 42 infected grafts grew gram-positive bacteria in 33 cases and gram-negative bacteria in 22 cases. Treatment adjuncts included repeated, radical operative wound debridement and rarely (7 of 42) rotational muscle flaps. This management resulted in a 10% (4 of 42) hospital mortality rate and an amputation rate in survivors of 3% (1 of 38 threatened limbs). All four deaths were due to sepsis: gram-positive bacteria were cultured in all cases and gram-negative bacteria in two cases. Of the 38 survivors, 29 (76%) wounds healed and remained healed after average follow-up of 3 years (range, 1 to 18 years). Nine other patients required total graft excision for nonhealing wounds (7 cases) or delayed anastomotic hemorrhage (2 cases). Gram-negative bacteria were cultured in four, and gram-positive bacteria were cultured in six of these nine wounds. Four of nine (44%) graft infections that cultured Pseudomonas organisms healed without complications versus 23 of 33 (70%) wounds that cultured gram-positive bacteria, and 12 of 13 (92%) wounds that cultured gram-negative bacteria other than Pseudomonas organisms.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Selective preservation of infected prosthetic arterial grafts. Analysis of a 20-year experience with 120 extracavitary-infected grafts.

Prospective and retrospective analyses of 1,182 consecutive patients undergoing primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) were performed to determine (1) the incidence of chronic lower extremity ischemia (CLEI); (2) the effect of tourniquet occlusion; and (3) guidelines that will allow TKA to be performed safely. Despite the appropriately advanced age of our patients, the incidence of CLEI was only 2%. All ischemic complications occurred in six patients with CLEI (25%), but none resulted in death or amputation. The ischemic complications consisted of pressure-induced necrosis of toes, heel, or foot, atheroembolism, femoral-popliteal graft occlusion, and asymptomatic popliteal occlusion. Tourniquet compression in the 1,158 patients without CLEI produced no untoward effects. Patients with mild CLEI can have a TKA performed safely with a tourniquet if there is no femoropopliteal calcification. When the ischemia is severe or there is a femoropopliteal aneurysm, arterial reconstruction should precede the TKA. In patients with patent femoral-popliteal bypasses or calcification without ischemia, TKA should be performed without a tourniquet. Ischemic pressure necrosis is an additional mechanism of injury.

Acute arterial thrombosis associated with total knee arthroplasty

ObjectiveThe authors report on their 20-year experience with 120 patients with infected extracavitary prosthetic arterial grafts (95 polytetraflouroethylene, 25 Dacron). Throughout this experience, an effort was made, when appropriate, to salvage all or a portion of these infected grafts. MethodsWhen patients had arterial bleeding (20 cases) or systemic sepsis (6 cases), immediate graft excision was performed. When the infected graft was occluded (43 cases), subtotal graft excision was performed, leaving an oversewn 2− to 3-mm graft remnant to maintain patency of the artery. Complete graft preservation was attempted in 51 cases in which the graft was patent, the patient was not septic, and the anastomoses were intact. Aggressive operative wound debridement was repeated, as necessary, to achieve wound healing. The preferred method of revascularization, when necessary, included secondary bypasses tunneled through uninfected (often lateral) routes. Follow-up averaged 3 years (range, 1 month-20 years). ResultsThis strategy resulted in a hospital mortality of 12% (14/120) and a hospital amputation rate in survivors of 13% (14/106 threatened limbs). Of the surviving patients treated by complete graft preservation, the hospital amputation rate was only 4% (2/45) and long-term complete graft preservation was successful in 71% (32/45) of cases. Partial graft preservation also proved successful in 85% (35/41) of surviving patients who had occluded grafts. Successful complete graft preservation was as likely when gram-negative or gram-positive bacteria were cultured from the wound, with the exception of Pseudomonas (successful graft preservation in only 40% [4/10] of cases). ConclusionBased on this 20-year experience, the authors conclude that selective partial or complete graft. preservation represents a simpler and better method of managing infected extracavitary prosthetic grafts than routine total graft excision.

Thromboembolic Complications in Patients with Advanced Cancer: Anticoagulation Versus Greenfield Filter Placement

PURPOSE Acute arterial thrombosis associated with total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a rare but limb-threatening complication. The purpose of this report was to determine the incidence and optimal management of these complications by reviewing our extensive orthopedic experience and the English-language literature. METHODS Between April 1989 and March 1994 seven (0.17%) patients had development of acute limb-threatening ischemia after 4097 TKAs that were performed at our hospital. Management of these complications included (1) emergency arteriography to define inflow and outflow arteries, (2) use of autologous vein from the contralateral leg when arterial bypasses were necessary (because TKAs are associated with a high incidence of deep vein thrombosis), and (3) early, aggressive revascularization that often required difficult distal bypasses to achieve limb salvage. Management of our cases are compared with treatment of 13 patients described in the literature. RESULTS Ten patients treated at other hospitals by arterial thrombectomy alone (six cases), sympathectomy alone (two cases), fasciotomy alone (one case) or delayed arterial bypass resulted in seven major amputations and one death. All seven of our patients and three patients treated elsewhere underwent emergency femorodistal bypasses (six tibial, three below-knee popliteal, one pedal). All 10 patients had limb salvage after long-term follow-up (average 18 months; range 1 to 58). CONCLUSION Thrombectomy alone for acute arterial thrombosis associated with TKA generally is unsuccessful and associated with unacceptably high amputation rates. Dismal results without emergency bypass is due to underlying chronic occlusive atherosclerotic disease found in these patients and intimal plaque disruption that can occur with knee manipulation or tourniquet compression. Acute arterial occlusion after TKA is best managed by emergency arteriography and a femoroinfrageniculate bypass.

Use of arm and lesser saphenous vein compared with prosthetic grafts for infrapopliteal arterial bypass: Are they worth the effort?

Thirty patients with Stage III/IV cancer and thromboembolic complications between 1987–89 were reviewed. Twelve patients had a deep venous thrombosis proximal to the calf diagnosed by duplex scanning or contrast venography, 15 patients had a pulmonary embolism diagnosed by a high-probability pulmonary ventilation/perfusion scan or arteriogram, and three patients had both deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Patients were treated primarily with anticoagulation (Group A =20 patients) or a Greenfield filter (Group B=10 patients). Seventy-five percent (15/20) of the Group A patients developed 19 bleeding or thrombosis-related complications: major bleeding (7), recurrent deep venous thrombosis/pulmonary embolism (4), inability to attain consistent therapeutic anticoagulation levels (3), heparininduced thrombocytopenia (3), or progression of deep vein thrombosis (2). A Greenfield filter was eventually placed in 10 (50%) of the Group A patients without complications. Thirty percent (3/10) of the Group B patients developed progression of deep vein thrombosis that required anticoagulation. One other Group B patient died due to a guidewire-induced arrhythmia. Although patients with advanced cancers and venous thromboembolic disease have a high complication rate with either treatment, initial treatment with a Greenfield filter appears more definitive. Anticoagulation should be reserved for patients with progressive, symptomatic deep vein thromboses after placement of a filter.

Congenital pelvic arteriovenous malformations: Long-term follow-up in two cases and a review of the literature

PURPOSE Arm and lesser saphenous veins (ALSVs) are generally considered to be the best alternative for infrapopliteal arterial bypass grafts when greater saphenous vein is not available. The need for additional incisions and repositioning of the patient, along with occasional use of general anesthesia for arm vein harvesting, led to our perception that the use of ALSVs increased operative time and possibly patient discomfort. Therefore, we compared the outcome of ALSVs with that of prosthetic infrapopliteal arterial bypass procedures performed at our hospital. METHODS Between July 1, 1991, and Dec. 31, 1996, we performed 96 infrapopliteal arterial bypass procedures using 45 ALSVs (28 arm vein, 17 lesser saphenous) and 51 polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) grafts. Seventy grafts were single-length ALSV or PTFE bypass grafts, and 26 grafts were placed as the distal segment of a sequential or composite bypass graft. Every attempt was made to use ALSV and avoid the use of PTFE, even if a short segment of the vein graft measured less than 4.0 mm in diameter. There were no significant differences between patients with ALSV compared with PTFE grafts in terms of age, sex, indication for surgery, or number of previous revascularization procedures (2.1 vs 1.7), respectively (p > 0.05). However, ALSV grafts had more factors associated with an expected worse outcome: they were more commonly anastomosed to pedal arteries (17% [8 of 45] vs 0%; p = 0.0009), less commonly single-segment grafts (62% [28 of 45] vs 82% [42 of 51]; p = 0.03), had higher average runoff resistance values (2.3 vs 1.5; p = 0.001), and were less frequently treated with lifelong warfarin (65% [29 of 45] vs 95% [48 of 51]; p = 0.0001). RESULTS The hospital mortality rate was 3.1% (3 of 96; 3 PTFE). All deaths were cardiac-related. Despite the potential factors associated with worse patency rates for ALSVs, 2-year assisted primary patency rates tended to be higher for arm veins (46%) than for lesser saphenous veins (23%) and PTFE grafts (26%), although this difference was not statistically significant. Limb salvage rates were similar between ALSV and PTFE grafts (76% vs 71%, respectively). The average operative time was significantly longer for ALSV bypass procedures (mean, 6.2 hours) than for PTFE bypass procedures (mean, 4.9 hours; p = 0.003), and for single-length conduits when revision of previously placed grafts was not attempted, the operative time was 4.0 hours for ALSV grafts and 2.5 hours for PTFE grafts. CONCLUSION In our experience ALSV bypass grafts to infrapopliteal arteries do not function as well as reported by some others. In spite of the extra effort involved, arm vein grafts are preferred over PTFE grafts for their likely higher assisted primary patency rates and equivalent, if not better, limb salvage rates.