The AngioVac Device: Understanding the Failures on the Road to Success.

Objective: Current percutaneous thromboembolectomy techniques may obviate surgical intervention in high-risk patients with iliocaval thrombus or thrombus of the right side of the heart, but typically require thrombus fragmentation and thrombolysis with associated bleeding and thromboembolic complications. The AngioVac (Angiodynamics, Latham, NY USA) device uses a percutaneous venovenous bypass circuit to aspirate intact thrombus. A review of the literature was performed with regard to the AngioVac device to determine the factors correlating with successful thrombus extraction.

Does the efficacy of dorsalis pedis artery bypasses vary among diabetic patients of different ethnic backgrounds?

Hispanic patients suffer from a high rate of leg amputations, far beyond what would be expected from the high prevalence of diabetes in this population. This raises questions about the efficacy of bypass operations across ethnic lines. We focused this review on dorsalis pedis bypasses, as these are frequently performed in diabetic patients.