Beyond the Technical: Determining Real Indications for Vascular Access and Hemodialysis Initiation in End-Stage Renal Disease.

Determining valid indications for vascular access creation and hemodialysis initiation in end-stage renal disease requires utilization of verified prognostication tools and recognition of triggers to initiate serious conversations, and implementation of concurrent palliative care and/or hospice care is recommended. Establishment of a multi-disciplinary team that includes consideration of interventionalists in the pre-dialysis medical situation is important. A "catheter best" approach may be the most appropriate for some patients to meet goals of care.

Effects of a standardized emergency department protocol on after-hours use of venous duplex ultrasound.

Objective: Vascular laboratory (VL) venous duplex ultrasound is the "gold standard" for diagnosis of lower extremity deep venous thrombosis (DVT), which is linked to many morbid conditions. Decreasing night and weekend use of VL services in the emergency department (ED) represents a potentially viable means of reducing costs as skilled personnel must remain on call and receive a wage premium when activated. We investigated the effects of workflow changes that required ED providers to use a computerized decision-making tool, integrated into the electronic medical record, to calculate a Wells score for each patient considered for an after-hours venous duplex ultrasound study for suspected DVT.

Competency champions in the clinical competency committee: a successful strategy to implement milestone evaluations and competency coaching.

Objectives: To create a clinical competency committee (CCC) that (1) centers on the competency-based milestones, (2) is simple to implement, (3) creates competency expertise, and (4) guides remediation and coaching of residents who are not progressing in milestone performance evaluations.

Design: We created a CCC that meets monthly and at each meeting reviews a resident class for milestone performance, a competency (by a faculty competency champion), a resident rotation service, and any other resident or issue of concern.

Setting: University surgical residency program.

Radiation exposure in endovascular procedures.

Background: The introduction of percutaneous techniques to treat patients with peripheral vascular disease has placed the vascular surgeon in the unique role as the fluoroscopy supervisor overseeing the radiation protection for patient, self, staff, and trainee. Since radiation is an invisible threat in endovascular interventions, attention to protection may be challenging for the surgeon to understand and enforce.

Methods: General endovascular radiation considerations for endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) and peripheral interventions are reviewed.

Safety, feasibility, and outcome of retrievable vena cava filters in high-risk surgical patients.

Objective: Retrievable vena cava filters (rVCFs) are being used frequently in the perioperative setting for preventing pulmonary embolism. The indications and safety profile for placement of preoperative retrievable vena cava filters (rVCFs) remains undefined, however. This study sought to determine the safety, feasibility, and outcome of rVCFs in bariatric surgery patients, who are known as a high-risk population for periprocedural deep vein thrombus (DVT) or pulmonary embolus, or both.