Closure Device Migration: An Unusual Cause of Acute Limb Ischaemia Following a Simple Endovascular Procedure.

Introduction: Acute limb ischaemia resulting from foreign body embolisation is an infrequent yet critical complication associated with vascular closure devices (VCDs). Despite the widespread use of VCDs, rare complications such as fragment emboli pose unique challenges, necessitating heightened clinical awareness. This case report presents a case of acute limb ischaemia caused by a VCD malfunction following an endovascular procedure. Report: A 70 year old male who was diagnosed with a severe claudication of the lower extremity (Rutherford III) due to right common iliac stenosis, underwent angioplasty using a FemoSeal (Terumo Ltd., Surrey, UK) to close the right femoral artery access. Two weeks later, the patient presented with acute lower limb ischaemia due to a right popliteal-tibial occlusion. Emergency surgical thrombo-embolectomy was successfully performed from a medial popliteal approach, and the thrombus, which contained a polymer disc from the VCD at its distal end, was completely removed. Discussion: Despite VCDs being proven safe and efficient, rare complications such as fragment emboli can occur, and physicians should be aware of the possible delayed onset of symptoms. Moreover, the radiolucent nature of the polymer disc in a FemoSeal complicates diagnostic imaging. While endovascular approaches exist, open surgery is a safe and effective strategy for retrieving fragments and treating the patient in acute limb ischaemia cases. Conclusion: Physicians should remain vigilant for embolic risks associated with vascular closure devices, even with suitable anatomy and following guidelines, especially considering the trend toward early ambulation and discharge.

Thoracic outlet syndrome: single-center experience on the transaxillary approach with the aid of the TRIMANO Arthrex arm.

Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) is a pathology caused by compression on the neurovascular bundle by the first rib. The treatment of TOS is conservative management by analgesia and physiotherapy; however, if there is no response to conservative treatment, surgery is indicated through thoracic outlet decompression by first rib resection. Several surgical techniques are available, including supraclavicular, transaxillary, and transthoracic first rib resection approaches. The transaxillary approach provides better visualization on the neurovascular bundle and, thus, is sometimes the preferred method of treatment. The transaxillary approach has been criticized due to safety concerns regarding the neural bundle during surgical exposure. During surgery, hyperabduction of the arm is obtained by a surgical assistant, and the quality of exposure can decrease with time, or an iatrogenic injury to the neural bundle (brachial plexus) can occur from the hyperabduction. The use of the TRIMANO Arthrex arm can help in the exposure, instead of a surgical aide, because it provides stable exposure and visualization for the operating surgeon. We performed a retrospective review of patients undergoing transaxillary first rib resection using the TRIMANO Arthrex arm between June 2021 and December 2022. During installation, the patient is placed in the lateral decubitus position and the TRIMANO Arthrex arm is fixed at the operating table at the height of the patient's shoulder. Thus, the surgical aide can help the surgeon during the surgery, rather than placing the arm into and out of hyperabduction. The use of hyperabduction is limited to 15 minutes, followed by 5 minutes of rest, to decrease the tension on the neurovascular bundle. The surgeon then performs the transaxillary approach and systematically resects the first rib, scalene muscles, and subclavian muscles. By this approach, the inferior brachial plexus is also lysed. In our review, we found a total of 15 procedures of first rib resection for the treatment of TOS with the aid of the TRIMANO Arthrex arm that met our inclusion criteria. All procedures were performed by the same surgeon. None of the patients sustained an injury to the neurovascular bundle. All the patients had an uneventful hospital stay postoperatively, and none presented with a hematoma. The drain placed during surgery was removed on postoperative day 2. All patients had at least one radiograph taken during their hospitalization, with no pleural effusion or pneumothorax found. The use of the TRIMANO Arthrex arm is safe and can help in the positioning and installation of the patients undergoing transaxillary first rib resection. It decreases the number of surgical assistants and offers great comfort for the surgeon because it provides stable exposure for the operating surgeon.

Implantation of ascyrus medical dissection stent, our first-hand experience.

BACKGROUND: Acute type A aortic dissection is associated with high perioperative morbidity and mortality. Ascyrus Medical Dissection Stent (Cryolife, Kennesaw, USA) is a novel uncovered hybrid stent graft developed to be used as an adjunct to standard surgical approach to promote true lumen expansion and enhance aortic remodeling. METHODS: From March 2021 to March 2022, four consecutive patients presented with acute Debakey type I aortic dissection and underwent emergent surgical repair with Tirone David procedure and implantation of Ascyrus Medical Dissection Stent. We reviewed patient's files retrospectively and described the perioperative outcomes. RESULTS: All four device implantations were successful. Overall 30-day mortality was 0%. Malperfusion that was present in two patients pre-operatively improved after Ascyrus Medical Dissection Stent implantation. No aortic reinterventions were needed. No aortic injury related to the device was noted. Favourable changes in aortic true lumen and false lumen dimensions were found in most of our patients but the stent was compressed at the isthmus in one patient. CONCLUSION: Ascyrus Medical Dissection Stent is a reliable and secure device. However, its benefits remain unclear when it comes to a positive remodeling and seems less likelihood comparable to a frozen elephant trunk. The main reason seems to be an insufficient radial force of the stent.

Branched Endovascular Thoracoabdominal Aneurysm Repair Under Electromagnetic Guidance in an in Vitro Model.

PURPOSE: We report a new approach to perform endovascular treatment of thoracoabdominal aneurysms under electromagnetic navigation guidance using a modified system (IOPS; Centerline Biomedical, Inc., Cleveland, OH, USA) and a modified branched endograft (E-nside TAAA Multibranch Stent Graft System; Artivion Inc., Kennesaw, GA, USA). CASE REPORT: We performed this case in an aortic in vitro model made from transparent polyurethane in our research hybrid room (Discovery IGS 730; GE HealthCare, Chicago, IL, USA). While the implantation of this device typically involves several challenging steps, including precise endograft implantation, snaring of preloaded guide wires, and cannulation of target visceral arteries, all were successfully performed using electromagnetic navigation guidance. CONCLUSION: Our preliminary experience suggests that endograft implantation under electromagnetic navigation guidance in an integrated hybrid operating room is an innovative option to address technical challenges and reduce patient and operator radiation exposure associated with complex endovascular surgery. CLINICAL IMPACT: Most steps of a branched endografting procedure can be performed without X-Ray exposure when using electromagnetic navigation guidance and a modified branched endograft.

EndoSuture aneurysm repair versus fenestrated aneurysm repair in patients with short neck abdominal aortic aneurysm.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare midterm results of EndoAnchors in EndoSuture aneurysm repair (ESAR) versus fenestrated endovascular aneurysm repair (FEVAR) in short neck abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). METHODS: All patients who underwent an ESAR procedure for a short neck AAA at our center between September 2017 and May 2020 were considered for analysis. To form the control group, preoperative computed tomography angiography of patients who underwent FEVAR for juxtarenal AAA between April 2012 and May 2020 were reviewed and patients who met short neck criteria selected. A propensity-matched score on neck length and neck diameter was calculated, resulting in 18 matched pairs. AAA shrinkage, type Ia endoleaks (EL), AAA-related reinterventions, and AAA-related deaths were compared. RESULTS: The median AAA diameter was 54 mm (interquartile range [IQR], 52-61 mm) versus 58 mm (IQR, 53-63 mm) with a median neck length of 8 mm (IQR, 6-12 mm) vs 10 mm (IQR, 6-13 mm) in ESAR and FEVAR patients, respectively. Technical success was 100% in both groups. Procedural success was 94% in the ESAR group versus 100% in the FEVAR group. The median procedure duration was 138 mm (IQR, 113-182 mm) vs 240 mm (IQR, 199-293 mm) ( P < .001) and the median length of stay was 2 days (IQR, 2-3 days) vs 7 days (IQR, 6-7 days) (P < .001) in ESAR and FEVAR patients, respectively. No major hospital complications were observed in ESAR patients compared with two in FEVAR patients (11%) with one transient acute kidney injury and one transient paraplegia. The median follow-up was 23 months (IQR, 19-33 months) vs 36 months (IQR, 22-57 months) with 67% versus 61% AAA shrinkage in the ESAR and FEVAR groups, respectively (P = .73). No type Ia EL, proximal neck-related reinterventions, or AAA-related deaths were observed in either group. No AAA-related reintervention was observed in the ESAR group versus three reinterventions in the FEVAR group (P = .23). CONCLUSIONS: ESAR seems to be a safe technique with no major postoperative complications or reinterventions observed during follow-up. It seems to offer similar midterm results as FEVAR in terms of type Ia EL, aneurysm shrinkage, and aneurysm-related mortality. ESAR seems to be a good off-the-shelf alternative to FEVAR in case of technical constraints.