Effect of Endovascular Treatment Rate on Population Level Outcomes and Survival After Intact Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair.

OBJECTIVES: The aim was to study outcomes of endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) and open surgical repair (OSR) of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) in four geographically adjacent populations with identical demographics and variable EVAR rates. METHODS: This was a multicentre cohort study based on local and national registry data from an area of 815 000 inhabitants. The study involved 527 consecutive patients with an intact AAA treated with EVAR (n = 327) or OSR (n = 200) between 2010 and 2016. The catchment area was divided into four health care districts (populations A, B, C, and D) with one central hospital in each district. Each hospital decided independently between OSR and EVAR for patients within their population; OSR was performed in all hospitals while EVAR was centralised in one of them. Patient demographics and treatment outcomes were extracted from local registries. Population demographics, overall AAA incidence, and mortality data were retrieved from a national database. RESULTS: The rate of new intact AAA diagnosis varied between 20 and 29 per 100 000 inhabitants/year with the highest incidence in population D (p < .001). The intact AAA repair rates were 9.8, 8.9, 9.9, and 8.7 per 100 000 inhabitants/year for populations A, B, C, and D, respectively (p = .64). There were no significant differences in mean age (73.6 ± 8.0 years) or mean aortic diameter (62 ± 13 mm) between the treated patient populations. Groups A and B had high EVAR rates (74% and 72%, respectively) whereas the EVAR rates were lower in groups C and D (50% and 38%, respectively) (p < .001). The 30 day mortality rates were 2%, 2%, 4%, and 1% (p = .55), and complication rates were 17%, 12%, 15%, and 11% (p = .39) for A, B, C and D, respectively. There were no significant differences in mortality, complication or re-intervention rates between the groups during the mean follow up of 3.3 ± 2.0 years. CONCLUSIONS: At population level, high EVAR rates had no measurable effect compared with lower EVAR rates on the outcomes in patients with intact AAA.

Genes involved in systemic and arterial bed dependent atherosclerosis--Tampere Vascular study.

BACKGROUND: Atherosclerosis is a complex disease with hundreds of genes influencing its progression. In addition, the phenotype of the disease varies significantly depending on the arterial bed. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We characterized the genes generally involved in human advanced atherosclerotic (AHA type V-VI) plaques in carotid and femoral arteries as well as aortas from 24 subjects of Tampere Vascular study and compared the results to non-atherosclerotic internal thoracic arteries (n=6) using genome-wide expression array and QRT-PCR. In addition we determined genes that were typical for each arterial plaque studied. To gain a comprehensive insight into the pathologic processes in the plaques we also analyzed pathways and gene sets dysregulated in this disease using gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). According to the selection criteria used (>3.0 fold change and p-value <0.05), 235 genes were up-regulated and 68 genes down-regulated in the carotid plaques, 242 genes up-regulated and 116 down-regulated in the femoral plaques and 256 genes up-regulated and 49 genes down-regulated in the aortic plaques. Nine genes were found to be specifically induced predominantly in aortic plaques, e.g., lactoferrin, and three genes in femoral plaques, e.g., chondroadherin, whereas no gene was found to be specific for carotid plaques. In pathway analysis, a total of 28 pathways or gene sets were found to be significantly dysregulated in atherosclerotic plaques (false discovery rate [FDR] <0.25). CONCLUSIONS: This study describes comprehensively the gene expression changes that generally prevail in human atherosclerotic plaques. In addition, site specific genes induced only in femoral or aortic plaques were found, reflecting that atherosclerotic process has unique features in different vascular beds.

Supplemental postoperative oxygen in the prevention of surgical wound infection after lower limb vascular surgery: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Surgical wound infection (SWI) is a common complication after peripheral vascular surgery. Infections increase morbidity and costs of treatment. The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that supplemental postoperative oxygen decreases the incidence of SWI after lower limb revascularization. METHODS: This prospective, randomized, multicenter, single-blinded trial was conducted between May 2009 and February 2010 in six secondary referral hospitals in Finland. We randomly allocated 274 patients undergoing surgery for lower limb revascularization to the study group (n=137) or a control group (n=137). The study group received supplemental inspired oxygen for the first 2 days after surgery. The main outcome was SWI. Patients were followed up for 30 days or until the SWI was healed. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the independent effect of supplemental oxygen on the incidence of SWI. RESULTS: Altogether 63 (23%) patients developed SWI; 47 (75%) of the infections were superficial. There were two vascular graft infections. SWI occurred in 25 patients (18.2%) in the study group and in 38 patients (27.7%) in the control group [odds ratio (OR) 0.56, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.30-1.04; P=0.07]. In isolated groin incisions, 3 patients of 52 (5.8%) in the study group and 12 patients of 51 (23.5%) in the control group developed SWI; OR=0.20, 95% CI 0.04-0.95; P=0.04. CONCLUSIONS: There was an indication that supplemental inspired oxygen tended to decrease the incidence of SWI after lower limb vascular surgery. In isolated groin incisions, the decrease of SWI incidence in the supplemental oxygen group was significant.

Does diabetes protect the femoral artery against atherosclerosis?

AIM: To compare the extent of angiographically detected stenoses in different segments of the lower leg arteries in diabetics and nondiabetics. METHODS: The study group consisted of 60 nondiabetic and 38 diabetic patients with lower extremity disease and no previous vascular interventions. Arterial lesions were analysed by digital subtraction angiography (DSA). The patients were evaluated by walking distance and ankle-brachial index (ABI) and the reason for hospitalization was recorded. RESULTS: Statistically significantly fewer stenoses were found in the superficial femoral artery in diabetics than in nondiabetics. Although a tendency to more diffuse changes in crural arteries was found, no statistically significant difference were found in other segments of the lower leg arteries apart from the femoral arteries. CONCLUSIONS: Judging from the present results there are fewer angiographically detectable stenoses in the superficial arteries in diabetics than nondiabetics.

Diabetes as an independent risk factor for early postoperative complications in critical limb ischemia.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the significance of diabetes mellitus as a risk factor for postoperative major morbidity and mortality after surgery for critical lower limb ischemia (CLI). SUBJECTS: A national vascular registry (Finnvasc)-based survey included 5709 operations for CLI from 1991 through 1999. Of these operations, 2508 (44%) were performed on diabetics. Tissue loss was the indication for surgery in 77% of diabetics and in 52% of nondiabetics. The proportion of femorodistal bypasses was 43% in diabetics and 24% in nondiabetics, whereas the proportion of reconstructions for aortofemoral arterial occlusive disease was 16% in diabetics and 34% in nondiabetics. RESULTS: Thirty-day mortality was 4.5% in diabetics and 3.4% in nondiabetics ( P = .05). The rate for early below-knee amputation was 6.5% in diabetics and 3.3% in nondiabetics ( P < .001). Independent factors for postoperative death were aortofemoral reconstruction (odds ratio [OR], 4.0), preoperative cardiac risk factor (OR, 3.1), primary surgery (OR, 2.0), renal insufficiency (OR, 1.9), urgent surgery (OR, 1.7), and age (OR, 1.3). Diabetes was an independent risk factor for postoperative below-knee amputation (OR, 1.7), cardiac complications (OR, 1.5), and superficial wound infection (OR, 1.3). There was an inverse association between diabetes and acute graft occlusion (OR, 0.8). Independent risk factors for early postoperative mortality in diabetes were aortofemoral reconstruction (OR, 2.5), urgent surgery (OR, 2.0), male gender (OR, 2.0), renal insufficiency (OR, 1.9), cardiac risk factor (OR, 1.7), and age (OR, 1.4). In nondiabetics independent risk factors for early postoperative mortality were aortofemoral reconstruction (OR, 4.5), cardiac risk factor (OR, 3.6), primary surgery (OR, 2.6), and extra-anatomic bypass (OR, 2.3). CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes was not an independent risk factor for early postoperative mortality in CLI as there was an increased morbidity in diabetics associated with old age, male gender, known coronary artery disease, and renal insufficiency, as well as urgent surgery. As diabetics have increased proclivity for these factors, special attention needs to be paid to their preoperative assessments.