A Scoping Review on the Use of Antibiotic-Impregnated Beads and Applications to Vascular Surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Surgical site infection (SSI) presents a ubiquitous concern to surgical specialties, especially in the presence of prosthetic material. Antibiotic-impregnated beads present a novel and evolving means to combat this condition. This review aims to analyze the quality of evidence and methods of antibiotic bead use, particularly for application within vascular surgery. METHODS: A systematic scoping review was conducted within Embase, MEDLINE, and the Cochrane Registry of Randomized Controlled Trials. Articles were evaluated by 2 independent reviewers. Level of evidence was evaluated using the Oxford Center for Evidence-Based Medicine Criteria and the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool for Randomized Controlled Trials. RESULTS: The search yielded 6951 papers, with 275 included for final analysis. Publications increased in frequency from 1978 to the present. The most common formulation was polymethyl methacrylate; however publications on biodegradable formulations, including calcium sulfate beads, have been published with increasing frequency. Most publications had positive conclusions (94.2%); however, the data was mainly subjective and may be prone to publication bias. Only 11 randomized controlled trials were identified and all but one was evaluated to be at a high risk of bias. The most common indication was for osteomyelitis (52%), orthopedic prosthetic infections (20%), and trauma (9%). Within vascular surgery, beads have been used primarily for the treatment of graft infection, with freedom from recurrence rates being reported from 41% to 87.5%. CONCLUSIONS: Antibiotic-impregnated beads provide a means to deliver high doses of antibiotic directly to a surgical site, without the risks of parenteral therapy. There has yet to be significant high-level quality data published on their use. There is a large body of evidence that suggests antibiotic beads may be used in SSIs in high-risk patients, prosthetic infections, and other complex surgical infections. Important potential areas of application in vascular surgery include graft infection, prevention of wound infection in high-risk patients, and diabetic foot infection.

A comparison of duplex ultrasound findings after cyanoacrylate embolization versus endovenous laser ablation of the great saphenous vein.

BACKGROUND: Whereas numerous studies have demonstrated noninferiority of cyanoacrylate embolization (CAE) relative to endovenous laser ablation (EVLA), little is known about the natural history of the vein or the glue that is implanted. This study provides the first description of duplex ultrasound changes of the great saphenous vein (GSV) after CAE relative to EVLA as well as a pragmatic view of outcomes in clinical practice. METHODS: Patients treated with CAE and EVLA at our institution were matched by time of procedure and vein size. GSV diameter was measured at the saphenofemoral junction, midthigh, and knee. Duplex ultrasound imaging was repeated after treatment in the same noninvasive laboratory with an identical protocol. Clinical data were collected by retrospective chart review. RESULTS: Of 481 eligible patients, 119 underwent postoperative duplex ultrasound imaging. Although there was a trend toward decreased vein diameter over time in CAE patients relative to their preoperative vein diameter, this failed to reach statistical significance at the midthigh (P = .32) or at the knee (P = .511). In EVLA patients, as follow-up interval increased, the vein was less frequently visualized on ultrasound at the midthigh (P = .046) and knee (P = .038). At >2 years of follow-up, >80% of EVLA patients had no visible vein segment. Anatomic recurrence was observed in 10.5% of CAE patients and 8.2% of EVLA patients, which was not statistically significantly different (P = .60). The majority of recurrence was observed in the presence of incompetent tributaries. CONCLUSIONS: After CAE of the GSV, our results indicate that the glue cast remains for at least 3 years. Although our results suggest that the glue is broken down over time, this process is much slower than expected. In contrast, after EVLA, the vein tissue is remodeled and is no longer visible with time. In our study, which represents a pragmatic clinical population with a large (median, 9.2 mm) vein diameter, we again demonstrate no statistically significant difference in recurrence rates. Whereas CAE offers an attractive treatment option for GSV incompetence, the glue cast remains for a prolonged time, and longer follow-up studies than those currently available are indicated.

Factors relating to the publication rate of abstracts presented from 2012 to 2015 at the Society for Vascular Surgery Annual Meeting.

OBJECTIVE: The Society for Vascular Surgery's Annual Meeting acts as a means of disseminating research findings among vascular surgeons through the presentation of research abstracts. Following presentation at the meeting, research is often compiled into a full-text manuscript and submitted to a peer-reviewed journal. However, not all abstracts accepted to the Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM) eventually have a corresponding full-text publication. The objectives of this study were to establish the publication rate of abstracts presented between 2012 and 2015 to the VAM and to identify factors correlating with publication status. METHODS: Abstracts presented at the VAM were available through the Journal of Vascular Surgery. Data extracted from eligible abstracts included level of evidence according to the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine 2011 Levels of Evidence scheme, type of study (prognostic, therapeutic/harm, diagnostic), sample size, and status of outcome (positive, negative, or descriptive findings). Publication status of the abstracts was determined through a comprehensive literature review of PubMed (MEDLINE), Ovid (MEDLINE), and Embase. A multivariable logistic regression was conducted to determine factors correlating with publication status. RESULTS: The publication rate during the study period was 43.0% with a median time to publication of 9 months, with 412 of the 958 abstracts having a corresponding full-text publication in 48 journals with weighted mean impact factor of 3.40. Eleven journals collectively published 372 (90.3%) of the articles, with the Journal of Vascular Surgery publishing 280 (68.0%) of the manuscripts. Our logistic regression model demonstrated that factors positively affecting publication status were a positive status of outcome (odds ratio, 2.59; 95% confidence interval, 1.56-4.28) and a logarithmic increase in the sample size of the study (odds ratio, 1.35; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-1.60). In addition, studies with a corresponding full-text publication had a greater median sample size (250) compared with those without one (143; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: From 2012 to 2015, 43.0% of VAM abstracts had a corresponding full-text publication, with greater sample size and a positive status of outcome positively correlating with likelihood of publication. Studies with negative findings made up a small proportion of conference abstracts (9.6%) and were the least likely to be published. Given the relatively small size of the specialty of vascular surgery, it may be particularly important to be mindful of publication bias. It may be worthwhile to give additional consideration to acceptance of abstracts or publication of studies with negative results that meaningfully contribute to the literature.