Axillofemoral bypass: compromised bypass for compromised patients.

PURPOSE: The procedure of axillofemoral bypass (AXF) grafting has generally been used in the past for patients with serious contraindication to certain reconstructive procedures involving the abdominal aorta. Because some recent series have noted improved results, it has been suggested that the indications for this bypass may be extended. We reviewed our experience with AXF to identify which factors affect outcome, to determine whether recent results have improved, and to determine whether an extension of the use of the procedure is justified by the observed results. METHOD: One hundred fifty-three AXF, including 80 axillobifemoral bypasses and 73 axillounifemoral bypasses performed between October 1974 and December 1992 were reviewed. RESULTS: Three-year primary and secondary patency rates for the entire group were 49.4% and 65.7%. Primary patency was adversely affected (p < 0.05) by superficial femoral artery occlusion, use of externally supported polytetrafluoroethylene, distal endarterectomy, distal anastomosis to the deep femoral artery, and year of surgery after 1984, but not by use of unifemoral or bifemoral outflow, side of graft origin, or concomitant distal procedure. The operative mortality rate of bypasses performed for claudication and the limb salvage rate was 8.3% overall and 5.9% after 1984. Limb salvage rates were 74.8% and 74.8% at 3 and 5 years. The patient survival rate for all AXF was 55.8% and 39.2% at 3 and 5 years. AXF for acute ischemia carried a high rate of mortality and limb loss. CONCLUSION: Bifemoral outflow, external support, and more recent surgery were not associated with improved patency rates. Our results do not support extended indications for AXF.

Axillary-contralateral brachial artery bypass for radiation-induced occlusion of the subclavian artery.

Symptomatic occlusion of the subclavian artery is a rare complication of radiation therapy for carcinoma of the breast. The first case of revascularization of this entity using saphenous vein was described in 1974. A total of only 24 patients have been reported in the English literature, of whom 14 have undergone successful arterial reconstruction. Three additional cases of occlusion of the subclavian artery 27, 18 and 7 years after radical mastectomy and postoperative radiotherapy are reported. These patients presented with pain, coldness, paresthesia and absence of pulses in the affected arm, and angiographic evidence of complete occlusion of the subclavian artery. All patients underwent axillary-contralateral brachial artery reconstruction using a 6-mm polytetrafluoroethylene graft tunneled subcutaneously through the previously irradiated area. In each case, the patient noted complete resolution of symptoms with the return of palpable distal pulses. One patient had a thrombosed graft 5 weeks after initial surgery and underwent successful thrombectomy. There were no complications associated with the subcutaneous tunnel or the production of a subclavian steal syndrome. Although there are other possibilities for the origin of the bypass, this technique avoids extensive dissection in previously irradiated areas and does not require complicated dissection of the subclavian artery or clamping of the carotid artery.

Iliofemoral versus femorofemoral bypass: the case for an individualized approach.

The treatment of unilateral iliac occlusion remains controversial. We report our experience with femorofemoral bypass (FF) and iliofemoral bypass (IF). One hundred sixty-two FFs and 82 IFs were performed during a 25-year period. Demographic characteristics of the two groups were similar. Operative indications included claudication in 32.1% of FFs and 19.5% of IFs, rest pain in 26.5% of FFs and 36.6% of IFs, ulcer in 8.0% of FFs and 3.7% of IFs, gangrene 13.6% of FFs and 23.2% of IFs, and acute thrombosis in 13.0% of FFs and 3.7% of IFs. Five-year primary and secondary patency rates for all FFs were 56.9% and 65.4% respectively. Those for all IFs were 74.9% and 79.2%. The primary patency rate of FF performed for chronic arterial occlusive disease was 73.3% at 3 years and 60.4% at 5 years and for IF it was 73.4% at 3 years. In the absence of prior arterial surgery in the groin, the primary patency rates of bypasses for chronic arterial occlusive disease were 78.3% for FF and 86.8% for IF at 4 years. Distal endarterectomy and acute ischemia adversely affected patency. The operative mortality rate was 6.2% for FF and 3.7% for IF. Eleven wound complications occurred in the FF group. Seven patients underwent graft removal without limb loss. One minor wound problem occurred in the IF group. Iliofemoral bypass avoids operation on an asymptomatic limb; FF avoids entry in the abdomen or retroperitoneum and can be performed under local anesthesia. In patients in whom either IF or FF is applicable, the choice between these two procedures should be individualized with these factors in mind.

The dorsalis pedis bypass--moderate success in difficult situations.

Recent reports have documented excellent results for inframalleolar reconstructions. We reviewed our outcomes for dorsalis pedis bypass and report a more modest rate of success. We analyzed reasons for failure. Sixty-nine patients underwent 73 dorsalis pedis bypass procedures between 1984 and 1991. Seventy-eight percent of the patients were diabetics. Inflow was from the external iliac in 1, femoral in 35, popliteal in 34, and tibial in 3. The operative indication was gangrene in 57%, ulcer in 22%, and rest pain in 21%. Forty-six percent of limbs had foot infection, with six requiring minor amputation before the bypass and 24 requiring minor amputation after bypass. There was one perioperative death. Twenty-nine grafts failed over the course of the series. The primary patency rate at 2 years was 59.2%. The limb salvage rate was 73.5%. Of the 10 perioperative failures, four were due to continued foot infection, four to marginal vein quality, and two to skin necrosis of the bypass incisions. Graft failure occurred at 3 to 30 months in 10 of 14 patients who had deficient anterior arches, with segmental occlusion of the dorsalis pedis or its branches. Six of the 14 patients with extensive infections of the forefoot or extensive heel ulcers required amputation with patent bypasses. In dorsalis pedis bypass, failure to achieve limb salvage was more likely in patients with marginal vein quality, deficient anterior pedal arches, and extensive foot infection. In patients where the chance of failure appears to be unacceptably high, primary amputation should be considered.

Microsurgery as an aid to middle cerebral artery endarterectomy.

1. Instrumentation and technique for microsurgical reconstruction of small arteries are described. 2. Two cases are reported in each of which an obstruction was removed from the middle cerebral artery for early hemiplegia. 3. The work presented is of a preliminary nature. No conclusions can be drawn as to ultimate value. Further clinical trial seems justified.

Aorto-caval fistula: a clinical spectrum.

Ten cases of aortocaval fistula (ACF) associated with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) were reviewed. In 5 cases the ACF became apparent after evacuation of the thrombus; only 5 patients presented with features of patent ACF. Four patients in addition presented with extra-caval rupture of the aneurysm. Based on these variables, a classification relating ACF and AAA was developed. In this series all patients were male with a mean aneurysm size of 8.5 cm. All patients required bifurcation grafts for reconstruction. A multifactorial etiology related to enlargement and rupture of all aneurysms seems to apply to ACF. Eight of 10 patients survived. Awareness of this entity and proper preparation allow for successful outcome in the treatment of this condition.

Occlusion during iliac angioplasty: a salvageable complication.

During transluminal dilation of the iliac artery, occlusion resulting from dissection occurred in four patients. In all four, the deteriorating clinical findings prompted surgical intervention. In three patients, Fogarty balloon catheters easily passed the occluded segments and specimens much the same as surgical endarterectomy specimens were retrieved. A clamp was used to retrieve the dissected portion of the vessel wall in the fourth patient. Three of four vessels have remained patent for 18 months, 18 months, and 6 months, respectively. One patient underwent bypass surgery 4 months after the occlusion episode for recurrent stenosis in a segment of vessel above the occluded segment, which had also been dilated during the same procedure. It is therefore possible in some cases to salvage vessels occluded during angioplasty, making it unnecessary to resort to aortofemoral or other type of bypass.

Evaluation of axillo-axillary artery bypass for the treatment of subclavian or innominate artery occlusive disease.

Because of the higher morbidity and mortality of transthoracic procedures, extrathoracic techniques to revascularize the subclavian or innominate artery, such as carotid subclavian and axillo-axillary artery bypasses have gained wide acceptance. The present work evaluates the results of axillo-axillary bypass in 33 patients who underwent this procedure in the past 13 years. There were 13 males and 20 females with a mean age of 61 years. The occlusive disease was present in the subclavian artery in 19 patients and in the right subclavian artery in 14 patients. Eleven patients presented with central nervous system symptoms and 10 patients complained of ischemic arm symptoms. The remaining 12 patients had both central neurological and upper extremity complaints. Twenty-one of these patients were followed for up to 5 years (mean follow-up 21 months). One patient died during the procedure from myocardial infarction (mortality of 3.03%). Patency of the bypass was determined by palpation of the graft pulse, doppler examination, and brachial arterial pressure determination. The patency rate, after 5 years, calculated by life table analysis, was 72%. In conclusion, axillo-axillary artery bypass can provide durable relief of symptoms with an acceptably high patency rate and low morbidity and mortality. It is the technique of choice in high-risk patients.

Reduced anastomotic bleeding using new sutures with a needle-suture diameter ratio of one.

Reduction of blood loss from a vascular anastomosis, especially when one is using a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) graft, is of great interest; even when a technically perfect anastomosis has been performed, there can still be significant and often bothersome bleeding from the needle holes. Currently, sutures have a needle-to-suture ratio of 2:1 or 3:1. Two new sutures, one made of PTFE and the other of polypropylene, were designed to have a needle-to-suture diameter ratio of 1:1. Theoretically, this allows the suture to completely fill the graft needle hole and control bleeding. These sutures were evaluated in a heparin-treated canine in vivo model to measure graft needle-hole bleeding. The materials were also tested by an independent laboratory to compare the basic physical characteristics. Twenty centimeters of 6 mm PTFE graft was interposed in an end-to-end fashion to the infrarenal canine aorta. The graft was then transected at its midpoint and a series of end-to-end, graft-to-graft anastomoses were performed with alternate experimental and control sutures. The experimental PTFE suture bled a mean of 12.46 ml per anastomosis. The experimental polypropylene bled 4.32 ml per anastomosis, while a control suture of polypropelene with a needle-to-suture ratio of 1.94 (5-0 prolene with a C-1 needle), produced a mean blood loss of 33.35 ml per anastomosis. These data are based on a total of 82 anastomoses. The results were analyzed with a two-tailed paired t test. As the data indicate, both experimental sutures allowed significantly less bleeding than the controls (p = .05). The testing of physical properties of the suture included diameter, tensile strength, needle pull-off strength, and elongation percent and were performed by an independent laboratory. These findings are included along with subjective evaluations of the sutures' handling qualities. We believe that sutures produced with needle-to-suture ratios of 1:1 greatly reduce graft needle-hole bleeding and will be a useful addition to the vascular surgeon's armamentarium.

Tissue damage caused by the intramuscular injection of long-acting penicillin.

In order to elucidate whether tissue damage produced on occasion by intramuscular injection of long-acting penicillin is due to accidental intra-arterial injection or vasospasm, two types of experiments were carried out in rabbits. In the first set of experiments, six New Zealand White rabbits were given intra-arterial injections of 0.4 mL of a mixture containing 300,000 U of penicillin G benzathine and 300,000 units of penicillin procaine per milliliter (Bicillin C-R) into the left femoral artery and 0.4 mL of normal saline into the right femoral artery as autocontrol. In a second set of experiments, 0.4 mL of the same penicillin preparation was injected in the space surrounding the left femoral artery in five New Zealand rabbits, and 0.4 mL of normal saline was injected in a similar fashion around the right femoral artery as control. The legs of the rabbits that received the intra-arterial injection of penicillin invariably developed ischemic manifestations. None of the legs of rabbits given intra-arterial injections of normal saline had pathologic manifestations. None of the rabbits that received the periarterial penicillin preparation or normal saline developed abnormalities. These results strongly suggest that the tissue damage produced by penicillin is secondary to the intra-arterial administration of the drug.

Femoral pseudoaneurysm following nonpenetrating trauma in a patient with aortic insufficiency.

Although not uncommon after penetrating vascular trauma, arterial pseudoaneurysms rarely develop following blunt trauma. A patient is described in whom indirect trauma led to pseudoaneurysm of the profunda femoris artery, and persistent bleeding required surgical intervention. In this case, the coexistence of significant aortic valvular regurgitation suggests that wide pulse pressure may predispose to this arterial complication.

Percutaneous transcatheter embolization of lesions of the extremities.

Our experience with nine patients in whom percutaneous transcatheter embolization was utilized in the extremities is presented. These include three patients with peripheral hemangiomas who were successfully embolized as the primary therapy; two patients who were embolized prior to surgery to minimize blood loss and shorten anesthesia time; two patients with neoplasm of an extremity as a means of palliation; and two patients with traumatic vascular lesions. Indications and potential complications are discussed, and the various embolic agents available are reviewed to define the options available to the angiographer and surgeons in planning therapy.

Factors contributing to stroke in patients with atherosclerotic disease of the great vessels: the role of diabetes.

The incidence of carotid artery disease and cerebrovascular symptoms were determined in 102 consecutive patients with peripheral arterial disease. Symptoms were correlated with risk factors of age, hypertension, smoking and diabetes and with the extent of disease at the carotid bifurcation. The incidence of stroke with permanent neurological deficit was twice as high in diabetics as in non-diabetics with equivalent atherosclerotic vascular disease (p less than .05). In women, the incidence of stroke was three times higher in diabetics (p less than .02). The number of transient ischemic attacks was significantly higher in non-diabetics (p less than .02). The total number of ischemic episodes in diabetics and non-diabetics was equivalent. This indicates that diabetics are more prone to irreversible destruction of ischemic brain tissue regardless of the nature of the circulatory disturbance.

Necrotizing fasciitis of perineum.

Twenty-eight patients with necrotizing fasciitis of the perineum were treated at the Mount Sinai Medical Center from 1971 to 1979. Ten of the 28 died of the disease, for a mortality rate of 36%. The mortality rate was even higher when the lesion was located in the perianal area and associated with diabetes mellitus and delayed surgical intervention. Necrotizing fasciitis is a rare disease that involves both superficial and deep fascia. It begins with fascial necrosis at onset and rapidly progresses to surrounding fascial planes, eventually involving overlying skin and underlying muscle. Evidence proves that it is not the result of abscess, but primarily originates from fascia and is devoid of frank pus in the well-formed pyogenic abscess cavity. If one observes dark brown necrotic turbid fluid and fails to see frank pus, the disease should be treated as necrotizing fasciitis by complete surgical removal of all necrotic tissue until the normal plane is reached.