Correlation between increased flushing intervals and malfunction and infectious complications in fully implantable catheters during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: To evaluate the incidence of malfunction and colonization rates of fully implantable long-term catheters left unflushed during the COVID-19 pandemic; and to evaluate the average cost of transporting each patient to the hospital for flushing.

Methods: During the COVID-19 pandemic, patients reduced the number of hospital visits and stopped flushing their catheters periodically with saline solution. After the pandemic stabilized in 2022, patients who completed chemotherapy treatment had their long-term catheters removed.

Epidemiological analysis of lower limb revascularization for peripheral arterial disease over 12 years on the public healthcare system in Brazil.

Background: Worldwide, peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a disorder with high morbidity, affecting more than 200 million people.

Objectives: Our objective was to analyze surgical treatment for PAD provided on the Brazilian Public Healthcare System over 12 years using publicly available data.

Methods: The study was conducted with analysis of data available on the Brazilian Health Ministry's database platform, assessing distributions of procedures and techniques over the years and their associated mortality and costs.

Imaging Signs of May-Thurner Syndrome in Asymptomatic Patients: Computed Tomography Angiography Analysis of Kidney Donors.

Background: The current study aimed to evaluate the distance between the right common iliac artery (RCIA) and lumbar vertebra in asymptomatic patients in order to determine whether such distance was statistically correlated with the left common iliac vein (LCIV) diameter (LCIVD) and to investigate if both measures were related to demographic characteristics and anthropometric data, such as sex, age, height, and body mass index (BMI).

Methods: In this descriptive and uncontrolled anatomic study, data from high-definition computed tomography (CT) angiography images of living kidney donors without a medical history of chronic venous insufficiency or past deep vein thrombosis (DVT) were analyzed. The RCIA crossed over the LCIV in 311 individuals, who were then included in this study.

Epidemiology of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair in Brazil from 2008 to 2019 and Comprehensive Review of Nationwide Statistics Across the World.

Introduction: Studying epidemiology of abdominal aortic aneurysms repairs is essential to prevent related deaths. Although outcomes are influenced by socioeconomic factors, there are no nationwide studies on these statistics in low-and-middle income countries. Therefore, we designed this study to evaluate abdominal aortic aneurysms repair rates, trends, costs, and in-hospital mortality in the Brazilian Public Health System, which exclusively insures over 160 million Brazilians.

Walking Training Improves Ambulatory Blood Pressure Variability in Claudication.

Background: Walking training (WT) improves walking capacity and reduces clinic blood pressure (BP) in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD), but its effects on ambulatory BP remains unknown.

Objective: To investigate the effect of 12 weeks of WT on ambulatory BP and its variability in patients with PAD.

Methods: Thirty-five male patients with PAD and claudication symptoms were randomly allocated into two groups: control (n = 16, 30 min of stretching) and WT (n = 19, 15 bouts of 2 min of walking at the heart rate of leg pain threshold interspersed by 2 min of upright rest).