Hybrid management of iliac injury during thoracic endovascular aortic repair: A case report.

Thoracic endovascular aortic repair is nowadays the preferred option to manage descending thoracic aorta diseases. However, despite feasibility and safety of the procedures, several complications may occur. We report the case of an 83-year-old female patient with inadvertent iliac rupture occurred during thoracic endovascular aortic repair. To limit massive bleeding, considering the patient's comorbidities contraindicating open surgical repair and the morphology of the arterial injury (circumferential rupture of the artery from its origin), we chose to perform a homolateral hypogastric and common iliac artery embolization and an aorto-uniliac balloon expandable stent graft deployment from the distal aorta to the contralateral common iliac artery. A femoro-femoral crossover bypass graft was performed to restore both lower limbs perfusion. Final angiography documented correct positioning and regular patency of the implanted grafts and bypass with no blood loss from the right iliac vessels. Despite careful preoperative assessment, iliac artery injury can represent a challenging complication of thoracic endovascular aortic repair, particularly in the setting of inadequate iliac diameter, calcification and vessel tortuosity, or when large-caliber introducers are required. The hybrid approach we describe is a valid and effective solution to minimize blood loss and avoid major consequences in the management of iatrogenic iliac artery rupture during endovascular procedures.

Autologous Bone Marrow Stem Cells in Patients With Critical Limb Ischaemia not Eligible for Revascularization: A Single Centre Experience.

We evaluated the use of autologus bone marrow stem cells transplantation in patients with critical limb ischaemia (CLI) not eligible for revascularization. Eighty consecutive patients candidate to amputation were enrolled in a single-centre retrospective study. The primary endpoint was defined as the amputation-free rate from stem cells transplantation. Secondary endpoints were the evaluation of transcutaneous oximetry and its predictive potential for probability of amputation and the evaluation of rest pain. Ankle brachial index, transcutaneous oxygen (TcpO2) and radiological imaging were performed at the enrolment and during the follow-up times. All patients were treated with auto transplant of bone marrow stem cells. Two patients died due to acute renal and acute respiratory failures. 19 patients were amputated from the thigh or leg. In total, 59 of 80 patients intended to thigh amputation saved the limb, preserving the plantar support. TcpO2 was found a predictive metric with an AUC equal to .763, and a threshold for a risk of amputation of 10% and 5% at the values ≤22.7 and ≤26.9 mmHg, respectively. Auto transplant of bone marrow stem cells seems to be a safe and an efficient option for CLI not eligible to revascularizzation.

Sex-Related Differences and Factors Associated with Peri-Procedural and 1 Year Mortality in Chronic Limb-Threatening Ischemia Patients from the CLIMATE Italian Registry.

BACKGROUND: Identifying sex-related differences/variables associated with 30 day/1 year mortality in patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI). METHODS: Multicenter/retrospective/observational study. A database was sent to all the Italian vascular surgeries to collect all the patients operated on for CLTI in 2019. Acute lower-limb ischemia and neuropathic-diabetic foot are not included. FOLLOW-UP: One year. Data on demographics/comorbidities, treatments/outcomes, and 30 day/1 year mortality were investigated. RESULTS: Information on 2399 cases (69.8% men) from 36/143 (25.2%) centers. Median (IQR) age: 73 (66-80) and 79 (71-85) years for men/women, respectively (p < 0.0001). Women were more likely to be over 75 (63.2% vs. 40.1%, p = 0.0001). More men smokers (73.7% vs. 42.2%, p < 0.0001), are on hemodialysis (10.1% vs. 6.7%, p = 0.006), affected by diabetes (61.9% vs. 52.8%, p < 0.0001), dyslipidemia (69.3% vs. 61.3%, p < 0.0001), hypertension (91.8% vs. 88.5%, p = 0.011), coronaropathy (43.9% vs. 29.4%, p < 0.0001), bronchopneumopathy (37.1% vs. 25.6%, p < 0.0001), underwent more open/hybrid surgeries (37.9% vs. 28.8%, p < 0.0001), and minor amputations (22% vs. 13.7%, p < 0.0001). More women underwent endovascular revascularizations (61.6% vs. 55.2%, p = 0.004), major amputations (9.6% vs. 6.9%, p = 0.024), and obtained limb-salvage if with limited gangrene (50.8% vs. 44.9%, p = 0.017). Age > 75 (HR = 3.63, p = 0.003) is associated with 30 day mortality. Age > 75 (HR = 2.14, p < 0.0001), nephropathy (HR = 1.54, p < 0.0001), coronaropathy (HR = 1.26, p = 0.036), and infection/necrosis of the foot (dry, HR = 1.42, p = 0.040; wet, HR = 2.04, p < 0.0001) are associated with 1 year mortality. No sex-linked difference in mortality statistics. CONCLUSION: Women exhibit fewer comorbidities but are struck by CLTI when over 75, a factor associated with short- and mid-term mortality, explaining why mortality does not statistically differ between the sexes.

Chronic abdominal aortic rupture mimicking femoral neuropathy.

Chronic-contained rupture of an aortic aneurysm is a rare subset of ruptured aneurysms. The presentation is unusual, and the diagnosis is frequently delayed. Here, we describe a case of contained rupture of abdominal aortic aneurysm that presented with signs and symptoms of femoral neuropathy. Clinical and radiological findings were initially misinterpreted. The correct diagnosis was formulated belatedly, causing a progressively increased risk of fatal events. Surgical aortic repair was performed and the postoperative course was uneventful. In conclusion, in the presence of a retroperitoneal mass, a diagnosis of chronic-contained rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm should be considered.

The Debatable Choice of Iliac Inflow Source for Redo Femoropopliteal and Infrapopliteal Bypass.

BACKGROUND: Redo area region operation is associated with a significant morbidity such as neurovascular injury, infection, and lymphorrhea. The traditional management of occluded femoropopliteal grafts often includes redissection of a scarred groin to obtain adequate inflow via the common femoral artery. These procedures are more technically demanding and require more expertise and judgment than the primary operation. We describe a case of using the ipsilateral iliac branch prosthesis of aortobifemoral bypass as inflow for iliac-peroneal bypass, avoiding the previous groin incisions, to minimize the local complications related to a redo groin dissection and to decrease the operative time required to obtain an adequate inflow source. CASE REPORT: An 86-year-old man was referred to our hospital with severe pain in the right lower extremity one day before the present admission. He underwent aortobifemoral bypass for Leriché syndrome, in our department, 10 years before the present admission. Eight and 9 years later, a femoral popliteal suprageniculate bypass and jump to deep femoral artery bypass (when femoropopliteal bypass was occluded) were performed with 6-mm polytetrafluoroethylene grafts, both in some other institution. The patient's right foot was colder than the left, and he had some difficulty with movement. Absence of signal Doppler continous wave at right tibial vessels was recorded (category IIA of Rutherford classification for acute limb ischemia). Computed tomography (CT) confirmed the following duplex ultrasound (US) findings: occlusion of the femoral graft and popliteal artery below the knee and preocclusive stenosis of deep femoral artery with patency of aortobifemoral bypass and peroneal artery. Taking into consideration the multiple groin scars and the occlusion of superficial femoral and popliteal arteries and preocclusive lesion of deep femoral artery, we decided to perform a sequential composite and extra anatomical bypass from the right iliac prosthesis to the peroneal artery, with graft tunnellization through the lateral groin subfascial layer. The proximal component of the graft was made with a 6-mm Dacron prosthesis routed through a suprasartorial tunnel from iliac prosthesis to the proximal great saphenous vein. Proximal anastomosis was performed in a conventional side-to-end fashion. A tunnel was created between the abdominal flank incision and the median prosthesis-vein anastomosis of the bypass under inguinal ligament laterally with respect to femoral vessels, in lateral to median route, avoiding groin scars. The vein segment was orientated in a nonreversed format, with a LeMaitre Valvulotome to secure antegrade flow. The intermediate anastomosis was performed in an end-to-end way, whereas the distal anastomosis was carried out between the vein and peroneal artery in a conventional end-to-side fashion. Immediate intraoperative and postoperative assessments of graft patency were carried out with angiography and hand-held Doppler examination, respectively. Duplex US scan was used for graft surveillance at regular intervals up to 12 months after surgery. The patient recovered at 12 months postoperatively, and the CT imaging demonstrated the good patency of the entire graft. CONCLUSION: We believe that the external iliac artery (or prosthesis such as in our case) inflow should be considered selectively rather than preferentially, mostly in the subset of patients selected for reoperative distal bypass.

FemoSeal® Device Use for Femoral Artery Closure by Different Techniques.

BACKGROUND: Common femoral artery is still the most frequently used site for vascular access, mostly for peripheral arterial interventions, and its puncture remains a significant source of patient's morbidity. Manual compression (MC) has been the gold standard for hemostasis after femoral catheterization until recently, but only in the last few years, vascular closure devices (VCDs) are replacing MC due to their rapid development. Nowadays, vascular surgeons (VSs) are also becoming familiar with VCDs. The purpose of this study was to investigate FemoSeal® arterial closure system use in terms of safety and efficacy in patients undergoing transfemoral peripheral procedure and evaluate the complication risk factors. METHODS: A retrospective analysis to compare 2 different specialists and technique with systematic implantation of FemoSeal® VCD was performed in a cohort of vascular patients treated by endovascular procedure with femoral artery access site over a 2-year period and sheaths ranged from 6F to 8F. All the patients were on antiplatelet therapy and received heparin during the procedure. The FemoSeal® was deployed in common femoral arteries. All patients were examined for access site complication by VS in both groups 20-24 hrs after VCD deployment and 1 and 6 weeks after the procedure with clinical visit and ultrasound duplex scan. Complications, as minor and major hematomas, pseudoaneurysm formation, vessel occlusion or dissection, and infection were recorded. RESULTS: During the study period, 130 FemoSeal® were deployed in 114 patients, 102 FemoSeal® in VS group, and 28 in interventionalist group. Mean age was 57 ± 24 years. There was no significant difference between the 2 groups in terms of comorbidities. Patient follow-up ranged from 1 to 15 months. All but 3 of the FemoSeal® devices were successfully deployed (all 3 cases in group 2). Mobilization time was 6 ± 4 hrs following interventions, and the discharge time ranged from 6 hrs to 7 days after procedure. Early discharge (within 6 hrs) was obtained in 23% of group 1 and in 0 cases of group 2 (P = 0.008). Delayed discharge was obtained in 74% of group 1 (67 pts) and in 70% of group 2 (18 pts) on postoperative day 1 (P = 0.47). Technical success was achieved in 99% of group 1 and in 93% of group 2 (P = 0.87). There were no perioperative deaths. There were no significant differences in terms of minor bleeding complications (P = 0.21) or infections or transfusion needing (P 0.06) in both groups. FemoSeal®-related complications occurred in 6 patients (1 in group 1 and 5 in group 2; P = 0.0017). All complications occurred following therapeutic intervention with 6F sheath introducer. Complication rate resulted significatively higher in group 2 in terms of pseudoaneurysm development (P < 0.0001) and transfusion needing (P = 0.03) in a subgroup analysis on peripheral arterial disease (Rutherford 3-5). Only chronic limb ischemia was found to be independent predictor of complications due to VCD use. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that when simple guidelines are observed, the device is safe, effective, and easy to deploy and allows for early ambulation and discharge. However, appropriate randomized clinical trials could clarify the correct guideline to minimize the complication rates.