Assessment of anxiety and health-related quality of life in patients with lower extremity peripheral arterial occlusive disease.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of chronic occlusive vascular disease on anxiety with adverse outcome with health-related quality of life (HRQoL). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Three hundred and thirty-five patients who were treated for peripheral arterial occlusive disease were enrolled in this study. 187 patients who had undergone percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and 148 patients who had one or more surgical revascularizations enrolled in the study. Mean age of the patients was 62.6 ±10 years. Two hundred and eighty-nine patients were male, 46 patients were female. Physical and mental domains of quality of life were measured using the 36-item Medical Outcomes Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) self-administered questionnaire and anxiety symptoms were assessed using the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). At baseline 335 patients filled out the SF-36 and STAI, and 304 patients (90.7 % of the series) filled them out at 6-month follow-up. RESULTS: There was no mortality and no significant morbidity after vascular interventions in the series. Significant improvement was found in two of eight health domains. The score of social functioning increased to 60.4 from 52.6 (p < 0.03) and general health perception increased to 75.1 from 60.5 (p < 0.04) at 6-month follow-up. The two STAI sub-scores, the State Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S) and the Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T) were found high (≥ 40) both preoperatively and 6 months postoperatively. Postoperatively there was no significant decrease of the levels of anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the assessment of psychosocial factors, particularly the ongoing assessment of anxiety, could help in risk stratification and prediction of functional status in patients suffering from lower extremity peripheral arterial occlusive disease.

Cerebral Protection with a Temporary Ascending Aorta-External Carotid Artery Bypass during Common Carotid Artery Revascularization.

Atherosclerosis is a systemic disease, and multiarterial involvement is common. Involvement of all the supra-aortic arteries may occur in the same patient making cerebral revascularization challenging. In this report, we present complete supra-aortic revascularization, that is, revascularization of the bilateral common carotid and subclavian arteries in a 51-year-old male patient with occluded brachiocephalic trunk, left subclavian artery, and proximally stenotic left common carotid artery. A temporary ascending aorta to left external carotid artery bypass provided meticulous cerebral protection with pulsatile cerebral flow in the presence of a proximal arterial clamp; hence, a neurologically uneventful procedure during bilateral common carotid artery revascularization.

Endovascular Stent Grafting for Aortic Arch Aneurysm in Aortoiliac Occlusive Disease following Aortic Arch Debranching and Aortobifemoral Reconstruction.

Treatment of thoracic aortic aneurysms constitutes high mortality and morbidity rates despite improvements in surgery, anesthesia, and technology. Endovascular stent grafting may be an alternative therapy with lower risks when compared with conventional techniques. However, sometimes the branches of the aortic arch may require transport to the proximal segments prior to successful thoracic aortic endovascular stent grafting. Atherosclerosis is accounted among the etiology of both aneurysms and occlusive diseases that can coexist in the same patient. In these situations stent grafting may even be more complicated. In this report, we present the treatment of a 92-year-old patient with aortic arch aneurysm and proximal descending aortic aneurysm. For successful thoracic endovascular stent grafting, the patient needed an alternative route other than the native femoral and iliac arteries for the deployment of the stent graft. In addition, debranching of left carotid and subclavian arteries from the aortic arch was also required for successful exclusion of the thoracic aneurysm.

Treatment of Dacron Grafting Dilatation with Endovascular Stent Grafting.

Dacron grafts are frequently used during surgical revascularization procedures. Complications including graft thrombosis and infection are well known; however, aneurysm formation is extremely rare. In this report, we describe dilatation of a Dacron graft detected four years after aortobifemoral bypass procedure in a 50-year-old male patient who was treated with endovascular stent grafting.