Automatic 1-year follow-up appointment creation and reminders can improve long-term follow-up after carotid revascularization.

Background: Long-term follow-up (LTFU) following carotid revascularization is important for post-surgical care, stroke risk optimization and post-market surveillance of new technologies.

Methods: We instituted a quality improvement project to improve LTFU rates for carotid revascularizations (primary outcome) by scheduling perioperative and one-year follow-up appointments at time of surgery discharge. A temporal trends analysis (Q1 2019 through Q1 2022), multivariable regression, and interrupted time series (ITS) were performed to compare pre-post intervention LTFU rates.

Conventional and Novel Lipid Measures and Risk of Peripheral Artery Disease.

Objective: The aim of this study was to comprehensively assess the association of multiple lipid measures with incident peripheral artery disease (PAD). Approach and Results: We used Cox proportional hazards models to characterize the associations of each of the fasting lipid measures (total cholesterol, LDL-C [low-density lipoprotein cholesterol], HDL-C [high-density lipoprotein cholesterol], triglycerides, RLP-C [remnant lipoprotein cholesterol], LDL-TG [LDL-triglycerides], sdLDL-C [small dense LDL-C], and Apo-E-HDL [Apo-E-containing HDL-C]) with incident PAD identified by pertinent () hospital discharge codes (eg, 440.2) among 8330 Black and White ARIC (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities) participants (mean age 62.

Cigarette Smoking, Smoking Cessation, and Long-Term Risk of 3 Major Atherosclerotic Diseases.

Background: Public statements about the effect of smoking on cardiovascular disease are predominantly based on investigations of coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke, although smoking is recognized as a strong risk factor for peripheral artery disease (PAD). No study has comprehensively compared the long-term association of cigarette smoking and its cessation with the incidence of 3 major atherosclerotic diseases (PAD, CHD, and stroke).

Objectives: The aim of this study was to quantify the long-term association of cigarette smoking and its cessation with the incidence of the 3 outcomes.

Diagnosis and treatment of uncomplicated type B aortic dissection.

A type B dissection involves the aorta distal to the subclavian artery, and accounts for 25-40% of aortic dissections. Approximately 75% of these are uncomplicated with no malperfusion or ischemia. Multiple consensus statements recommend thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) as the treatment of choice for acute complicated type B aortic dissections, while uncomplicated type B dissections are traditionally treated with medical management alone, including strict blood pressure control, as open repairs have a prohibitively high morbidity of up to 31%.

Update on peripheral arterial disease and claudication rehabilitation.

The prevalence of peripheral arterial disease is high and will continue to grow with our aging population. It is often under diagnosed and under treated due to a general lack of awareness on the part of the patient and the practitioner. The evidence-base is growing for the optimal medical management of the patient with peripheral arterial disease; in parallel, endovascular revascularization options continue to improve.

Underestimation of carotid stenosis in bradycardia.

Bradycardia may lead to an underestimation of carotid stenosis by duplex ultrasonography. An 83-year-old man with asymptomatic bradycardia was referred to our institution after magnetic resonance angiography revealed greater than 90% stenosis of the proximal left internal carotid artery (ICA). Two separate carotid duplex examinations were subsequently performed at different vascular laboratories within our institution.

Carotid bruit for detection of hemodynamically significant carotid stenosis: the Northern Manhattan Study.

Objective: The prevalence of carotid bruits and the utility of auscultation for predicting carotid stenosis are not well known. We aimed to establish the prevalence of carotid bruits and the diagnostic accuracy of auscultation for detection of hemodynamically significant carotid stenosis, using carotid duplex as the gold standard.

Methods: The Northern Manhattan Study (NOMAS) is a prospective multiethnic community-based cohort designed to examine the incidence of stroke and other vascular events and the association between various vascular risk factors and subclinical atherosclerosis.

Self-reported peripheral arterial disease predicts future vascular events in a community-based cohort.

Background: Lower extremity peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is highly prevalent and strongly associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The ankle-brachial index used to screen for PAD is not routinely performed in primary care settings.

Objective: To determine if self-reported PAD is an independent predictor of combined vascular events (myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, and vascular death).