Murray Flett

Balloon Angioplasty as the Primary Treatment for Failing Infra-inguinal Vein Grafts

BACKGROUND We sought to evaluate the role of balloon angioplasty as the primary modality in the management of vein graft stenoses. METHODS Patients who underwent infrainguinal vein graft bypass from January 2002 to December 2007 were enrolled into a surveillance program. Grafts which developed critical stenoses were identified and underwent urgent angiography with a view to angioplasty of the stenotic lesion. Lesions which were deemed unsuitable for angioplasty underwent urgent surgical repair. RESULTS Four hundred and eleven grafts were followed up for a median of 19 months (range: 2-61). Ninety-six grafts (22.6%) developed critical stenosis. Twelve grafts occluded prior to repair and one was not intervened upon electively. Eight grafts underwent primary surgical repair. Seventy-six grafts underwent 99 endovascular procedures. Technical success was achieved in 60 grafts (78.9%). Of the grafts in which technical success had not been achieved, eight underwent repeat angioplasty and three were surgically repaired. Twenty-four grafts underwent repeat angioplasty for re-stenosis with a technical success rate of 71%. No difference was observed in graft patency (P=0.08) or amputation rates (P=0.32) between the grafts requiring intervention to maintain patency, and grafts which did not. Smoking [OR: 2.61 (95% CI: 1.51-4.53), (P=0.006)], diabetes [OR: 2.55 (95% CI: 1.49-4.35), (P=0.006)], renal failure [OR: 1.89 (95% CI: 1.19-3.38), (P=0.040)] and recurrent stenosis [OR: 3.22 (95% CI: 1.63-4.69), (P<0.001)] were risk factors for graft occlusion. CONCLUSIONS Balloon angioplasty of failing infrainguinal vein bypass grafts is safe and can be performed with an acceptable medium term patency rate, albeit with a significant risk of re-stenosis which can be successfully treated in most patients using repeat endovascular intervention.

Endovascular Treatment for Traumatic Popliteal Artery Pseudoaneurysms After Knee Arthroplasty

Trauma to the popliteal artery is a recognized complication of knee arthroplasty (total knee arthroplasty). It can present in a variety of ways, one of which is the development of popliteal artery pseudoaneurysm. We report the successful endovascular management of 2 patients who developed popliteal artery pseudoaneurysms following total knee arthroplasty using covered stent grafts. From presented evidence, endovascular therapy is a safe treatment modality and it appears to be a viable alternative to open surgery.

Immediately Postoperative B-Type Natriuretic Peptide and Its Predictive Value

BACKGROUND Major vascular surgery involves a high risk of major cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. A method of predicting perioperative myocardial events is required. Preoperative B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) has been evaluated for this purpose. The aims of this study were to determine the postoperative course of BNP levels and correlate these levels with the outcome. METHODS The present study included 45 patients undergoing major vascular surgery. These patients further underwent serial venous blood sampling for troponin-T and BNP and serial electrocardiograms, pre- and postoperatively (immediately postoperatively and at days 1 through 4). RESULTS Of the 45 patients, seven suffered myocardial damage, as defined by troponin-T. An immediate postoperative BNP (cutoff, 171 pg/mL) was better able to predict cardiac damage (p = 0.027) than BNP levels preoperatively (cutoff, 281 pg/mL, p = 0.042) and on day 1 postoperatively (cutoff, 182 pg/mL, p = 0.032). Only the preoperative BNP levels showed an effect on survival. Patients with a preoperative BNP >281 pg/mL had a mean survival of 12.7 months, as compared with 17.6 months for patients with a BNP <281 pg/mL, p = 0.044. CONCLUSION Preoperative BNP is an accurate determinant of postoperative cardiac morbidity and all cause survival, with BNP in the immediate postoperative period being an even more accurate predictor of cardiac events. An immediate postoperative BNP might help risk stratify patients for the next 72 hours in the perioperative period (and maybe longer).

The value of vein graft surveillance in bypasses performed with small-diameter vein grafts.

We assessed the impact of preoperative diameter of the venous conduit on reintervention rate and outcome following infrainguinal vein graft bypass. Consecutive infrainguinal vein bypasses between January 2001 and December 2006 were reviewed. All patients underwent preoperative measurement of vein graft diameter (VGD). Grafts were classified into those with VGD <3.5 mm and those with VGD > or =3.5 mm. All patients were enrolled in a duplex surveillance program. The association between VGD and reintervention rate was assessed. Graft patency and amputation rates were compared. There were 377 bypasses followed up for a median of 23 months (range 8-67). VGD was <3.5 mm in 139 grafts (36.9%) and > or =3.5 mm in 238 grafts (63.1%). A higher proportion of smaller vein grafts (32.3%) required reintervention to maintain graft patency compared with larger conduits (20.2%) (chi(2) = 7.7, p < 0.001). VGD (odds ratio [OR] = 2.87, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.63-3.81; p < 0.001), smoking (OR = 1.83, 95% CI 1.39-3.20; p = 0.02), and type of bypass (OR = 1.86, 95% CI 1.49-2.47; p = 0.02) were variables associated with higher reintervention rate. There was no difference in graft patency (p = 0.13) or amputation rates (p = 0.35) between the two groups. Use of smaller vein grafts was associated with a higher reintervention rate. Provided that these grafts are surveyed and where necessary repaired, the use of smaller vein grafts is successful and expands the availability of autogenous conduit for infrainguinal arterial reconstruction.

Endovascular Repair of an Anastomotic Leak Following Open Repair of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

This report describes the case of an early postoperative anastomotic leak following elective open repair of an infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm which was successfully treated by endovascular stent-grafting. A 71-year-old man underwent open tube graft repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm. Twelve days later he presented with a contained leak from the distal anastomosis, which was confirmed on CT scan. This was successfully treated with a bifurcated aortic stent-graft. This case illustrates the usefulness of the endovascular approach for resolving this rare surgical complication of open repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm and the challenges associated with the deployment of such a device within an aortic tube graft.

Infrainguinal aneurysms in a tertiary setting: A study of outcomes

the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. Results: Twelve cohort studies involving 1512 patients were included. The majority of these were treated endovascularly (1168 patients).DR was associated with improved wound healing (Odds Ratio, OR 0.39, p<0.001) and limb salvage rates (OR 0.20, p<0.001) compared to IR, however this effect was lost on certain sensitivity analyses. DR had no effect on reintervention rates (OR 0.44, p1⁄40.27) or subsequent mortality (OR 0.83, p1⁄40.37). Overall study quality was low. Conclusions: DR appears superior in terms of wound healing and limb salvage. There was no evidence that the approach was less safe than IR. Vascular units performing infrapopliteal revascularisation should consider DR whenever feasible.