Extensive Inferior Vena Cava Thrombosis Related to COVID-19 Infection in a Patient with Retrievable Filter Due to Multiple Pelvic Bone Fractures.

Inferior vena cava (IVC) thrombosis is often attributed to IVC filters. Here, we describe the first case of IVC filter thrombosis associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 infection in a 34-year-old male with multiple pelvic fractures. The IVC filter was initially placed prophylactically prior to major orthopedic trauma reconstruction complicated by silent pulmonary embolism, precluding the safe transition to therapeutic anticoagulation due to the high hemorrhagic risk from pelvic fracture fixation. This case highlights the potentially increased risk of severe complications in patients receiving vascular care if they were to contract coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) in the hospital. IVC filter placement in the patient resulted in complete IVC thrombosis after he acquired COVID-19 infection. Prophylactic doses of low molecular weight heparin could not prevent this complication. However, prompt initiation of therapeutic anticoagulation with rivaroxaban led to the complete resolution of IVC thrombosis over weeks after viral negativization and discharge.

Five-Year Management of Vascular Injuries of the Extremities in the "Real-World" Setting in Northeastern Greece: The Role of Iatrogenic Traumas.

BACKGROUND: Vascular trauma comprises a diagnostic and surgical challenge. Aim of this study was to present the vascular traumas treated in our Tertiary Hospital during the last 5 years. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the surgical records of our vascular department and documented the site and type of vascular injuries of the extremities along with the concurrence of musculoskeletal injuries. The type and outcome of surgical interventions were also recorded. RESULTS: Fifty-eight cases of vascular trauma were recorded (39 in the upper and 19 in the lower extremities). Overall, iatrogenic traumas accounted for 41.3% of cases. The arterial injuries of the upper limb were blunt and penetrating in 27% and 67%, respectively. The most affected artery in the upper limb was the radial artery (37.8%), followed by the ulnar artery (27%) and the brachial artery (24.3%). Orthopedic injuries were recorded in 19% of patients. Management involved simple revascularization, bypass operations, patch arterioplasty and endovascular management in 48.7%, 33.3%, 5.1%, and 5.1%, respectively. The most affected site in the lower extremity was the common femoral artery (36.8%) followed by the popliteal artery (21%). Bone fractures were reported in 5 cases (26.3%). The surgical management involved bypass, simple revascularization, patch arterioplasty in 42.1%, 26.3%, and 21%, respectively. Endovascular management was performed in 10.5%. CONCLUSIONS: A considerable percentage of iatrogenic vascular injuries was recorded, affecting both the upper and lower limbs. Despite the trend toward centralization of vascular services, a basic service of vascular surgery should be available in most sites to ensure that patients with vascular injuries receive fast and appropriate care.

Web-based Medical Education During COVID-19 Lockdown: A Step Back or a Leap to the Future?

The impact of coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19) on medical education has been substantial. Medical students require considerable clinical exposure. However, due to the risk of COVID-19, the majority of medical schools globally have discontinued their normal activities. The strengths of virtual teaching now include a variety of web-based resources. New interactive forms of virtual teaching are being developed to enable students to interact with patients from their homes. Conversely, students have received decreased clinical training in certain medical and surgical specialities, which may, in turn, reduce their performance, confidence, and abilities as future physicians. We sought to analyze the effect of telemedicine on the quality of medical education in this new emerging era and highlight the benefits and drawbacks of web-based medical training in building up future physicians. The COVID-19 pandemic has posed an unparalleled challenge to medical schools, which are aiming to deliver quality education to students virtually, balancing between evidence-based and experience-based medicine.

Balancing the Covid-19-motivated vascular access guidelines and patient-centred care of pre-dialysis candidates.

The recommendations recently proposed by the European and American Vascular Societies in this new 'Covid-19' era regarding the triage of various vascular operations into urgent, emergent and programmed based on the nature of their pathology aim at reserving health care expenses and hospital staff towards managing the current unexpected worldwide pandemic to the highest possible degree. The suggestion for implementation of these changes into real-world practice, however, does not come without a cost. In particular, the recommendation for deferral of access creation in pre-dialysis patients, ethical, socio-economic and medico-legal issues arise which should be seriously taken into consideration. At the end of the day, vascular access creation is the lifeline of haemodialysis patients and the indication for surgery warrants patient-specific clinical judgement rather than 'group labelling'.