Sheath Size Up and Down With Single Proglide - A Technique for Achieving Hemostasis With Use of Large Size Delivery System During Endovascular Graft Placement.

BACKGROUND: A total percutaneous approach for management of aortic pathologies with endovascular grafts requires the use of large size delivery-systems. The diameter of these delivery systems usually exceeds the recommended sizes for most of the currently available percutaneous closure devices. A safe, effective and simple vascular access site closure device is desirable for success for percutaneous procedures for aortic pathologies. Hence, we aim to study safety and effectiveness of the use of a single suture based vascular access closure device (ProGlide) using a technique involving serial up and downsizing of the sheath size to achieve access site hemostasis in patients undergoing endovascular graft placement using femoral artery approach. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied all consecutive patients who underwent endovascular grafting from January 2018 to December 2019. It is a retrospective observational study comparing procedural and short-term outcomes between single ProGlide use and surgical cut-down for femoral access site closure. We excluded patients with femoral artery minimal luminal diameter less than 5 mm, the presence of an aneurysm of the femoral artery, ≥180 degrees of calcium present at femoral/ external iliac artery and history of any vascular closure device use in the last six months. RESULTS: We included 30 patients in single ProGlide group and 30 patients in the surgical cut-down group. One-third of the procedures were urgent procedures in the single Proglide group. Single ProGlide was successful in 93.34% patients and failure (6.66%) was seen due to hematoma and pseudoaneurysm in one patient each detected before discharge. The primary end-point defined by the success of procedure did not differ between the two groups. There were higher complications in the surgical group till 30 days as evidenced by infection, hematoma and neuronal injury. The secondary end-point, defined by the composite of complication events after discharge till 30 days was significantly higher in the surgical group (P-0.005) CONCLUSION: In patients with suitable femoral artery anatomy who undergo endovascular graft placement, effective hemostasis can be achieved safely using up and downsizing of the sheath with a single suture-based technique (Proglide). The results of the study could be considered hypothesis generating and needs to be confirmed in a randomized controlled trial before being adopted in clinical practice.

The Mid-Term Clinical Follow-Up Using Drug-Eluting Balloons on Tibial Artery "De Novo" Lesions in Patients With Critical Limb Ischemia: A Cohort Study.

RATIONALE: Restenosis due to intimal hyperplasia (IH) is a major clinical issue that affects the success of lower limb endovascular surgery. After 1 year, restenosis occurs in 40% to 60% of the treated vessels. The possibility to reduce IH using local antiproliferative drugs, such as taxols, has been the rationale for the clinical applications of drug-eluting stents and drug-eluting balloons (DEBs). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical and instrumental efficacy of DEBs versus simple percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) in patients affected by chronic limb ischemia (CLI) with tibial artery "de novo" lesions. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed and included all consecutive patients who underwent endovascular treatment for CLI in our centers between January 2011 and March 2013. Inclusion criteria were (1) "de novo" tibial artery stenosis and (2) Rutherford class >4. Lesions were further divided by TransAtlantic Inter-Societal Consensus (TASC) classification into groups A, B, C, and D. RESULTS: Between January 2010 and March 2013, a total of 138 patients underwent simple PTA or DEB for CLI, and the groups were clinically and demographically homogenous. We decided to use DEBs in 70 cases. An improvement in the Rutherford Scale in cumulative and single TASC lesions classification was better in the DEB group (74% vs 51%; P = .024) at 24 months than in the PTA group. In the DEB group, the increase in ankle-brachial index was significantly higher than in the PTA group (P = .039). CONCLUSIONS: Our experience in addition to the existing literature supports the use of DEB in patients with CLI Rutherford class >3.

Carotid artery stenting in patients with acute coronary syndrome: a possible primary therapy for symptomatic carotid stenosis.

PURPOSE: To report the results of carotid artery stenting (CAS) in symptomatic patients (stroke/transient ischemic attack) after recent percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) for acute coronary syndrome (ACS). METHODS: Between January 2009 and July 2011, 28 consecutive patients (18 women; mean age 66 years, range 42-82) underwent protected CAS for symptomatic carotid stenosis following recent PTCA that included bare or drug-eluting stents requiring uninterrupted dual antiplatelet therapy. Primary technical success, neurological complications, major adverse cardiovascular events, and death were evaluated at 30 days and over midterm follow-up. RESULTS: Technical success was 96%; 1 patient suffered a nonfatal major stroke (3.5% 30-day stroke rate) during the procedure. During a median 21.6-month follow-up, 4 (14%) patients died of myocardial infarction (all diabetic smokers with ejection fractions <40%), but there were no new neurological events. Estimated survival was 89.3% at 2 years. Further coronary interventions were performed in 2 diabetic patients with a body mass index >34 kg/m(2). CONCLUSION: This preliminary experience demonstrated that CAS is a reasonable, safe, and effective treatment for patients with symptomatic carotid artery stenosis who were recently treated with coronary stents requiring uninterrupted dual antiplatelet therapy.

Radiofrequency ablation of the great saphenous vein with the ClosureFAST™ procedure: mid-term experience on 400 patients from a single centre.

INTRODUCTION: Endovascular obliteration of the great saphenous vein (GSV) has been proposed as an alternative to conventional extirpative treatment of varicose veins. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This report reviewed the initial experience with the ClosureFAST™ procedure in 407 legs over a one-year period. Occlusion of the GSV was seen on 98 % of completion scans and in all patients within 1 week of the procedure. Persistent occlusion was documented in all cases. One had paresthesias and one had skin pigmentation. Three patients had transient superficial thrombophlebitis in a treated segment of a superficial collateral of the GSV. One patient was found to have extension of an asymptomatic, nonocclusive thrombus into the common femoral vein 1 week after the procedure. CONCLUSION: Radiofrequency ablation of the GSV appears to be a safe alternative to conventional stripping and ligation. Randomised clinical trials and longer follow-up periods are required to establish the overall superiority of the procedure in comparison to conventional stripping.

Multiple multilayer stents for thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm: a possible new tool for aortic endovascular surgery.

PURPOSE: Endovascular surgery data are confirming the paramount role of modern endovascular tools for a safe and sure exclusion of thoracoabdominal lesions. CASE REPORT: A 57-year-old female presented with severe comorbidity affected by a 58 mm thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA). After patient-informed consent and local Ethical Committee and Italian Public Health Ministry authorization, three multilayer stents were implanted in the thoracoabdominal aortic tract, obtaining at a 20-month computed tomography scan follow up, a complete exclusion of the TAAA, with normal patency of visceral vessels. CONCLUSION: Multilayer stents can be used in thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm, with positive results.