Short-Term Complications and Mortality Following Open Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair by a Single High-Volume Surgeon.

Introduction: Although endovascular repair is now considered the first-line surgical treatment for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs), some surgeons maintain a high volume of open aortic repairs (OARs) with very good outcomes. This study examines postoperative 30-d and 12-mo mortality and in-hospital complications from a single surgeon who performed 316 elective OARs for unruptured AAAs over a 10-y period.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed for all patients who underwent elective OAR for unruptured AAAs between April 1st, 2007, and March 31st, 2017, at a single community center in Quebec, Canada.

Canadian Cardiovascular Society 2022 Guidelines for Peripheral Arterial Disease.

Patients with widespread atherosclerosis such as peripheral artery disease (PAD) have a high risk of cardiovascular and limb symptoms and complications, which affects their quality of life and longevity. Over the past 2 decades there have been substantial advances in diagnostics, pharmacotherapy, and interventions including endovascular and open surgical to aid in the management of PAD patients. To summarize the evidence regarding approaches to diagnosis, risk stratification, medical and intervention treatments for patients with PAD, guided by the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) framework, evidence was synthesized, and assessed for quality, and recommendations provided-categorized as weak or strong for each prespecified research question.

Low-dose rivaroxaban plus aspirin in older patients with peripheral artery disease undergoing acute limb revascularization: insights from the VOYAGER PAD trial.

Aims: In this secondary analysis of the VOYAGER trial, rivaroxaban 2.5 mg twice/day plus aspirin 100 mg/day was assessed in older adults. Advanced age is associated with elevated bleeding risk and unfavourable net benefit for dual antiplatelet therapy in chronic coronary artery disease.

Effect of Rivaroxaban and Aspirin in Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease Undergoing Surgical Revascularization: Insights From the VOYAGER PAD Trial.

Background: Patients with peripheral artery disease requiring lower extremity revascularization (LER) are at high risk of adverse limb and cardiovascular events. The VOYAGER PAD trial (Vascular Outcomes Study of ASA [Acetylsalicylic Acid] Along With Rivaroxaban in Endovascular or Surgical Limb Revascularization for PAD) demonstrated that rivaroxaban significantly reduced this risk. The efficacy and safety of rivaroxaban has not been described in patients who underwent surgical LER.

COMPASS for Vascular Surgeons: Practical Considerations.

Purpose Of Review: To suggest a practical approach for the application of data from the Cardiovascular Outcomes for People Using Anticoagulation Strategies (COMPASS) trial in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD).

Recent Findings: The COMPASS trial showed that low-dose rivaroxaban 2.5 mg twice daily plus daily aspirin was superior to aspirin alone in reducing major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, and major adverse limb events among patients with stable atherosclerotic vascular disease, including those with PAD.

Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Lowering With Evolocumab and Outcomes in Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease: Insights From the FOURIER Trial (Further Cardiovascular Outcomes Research With PCSK9 Inhibition in Subjects With Elevated Risk).

Background: The PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9) inhibitor evolocumab reduced low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and cardiovascular events in the FOURIER trial (Further Cardiovascular Outcomes Research With PCSK9 Inhibition in Subjects With Elevated Risk). We investigated the efficacy and safety of evolocumab in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) as well as the effect on major adverse limb events.

Methods: FOURIER was a randomized trial of evolocumab versus placebo in 27 564 patients with atherosclerotic disease on statin therapy followed for a median of 2.

A new metric for centralization of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm repair in large territories.

Objective: This study proposes the DEDE (Door-from-Emergency to Door-to-EVAR [endovascular aneurysm repair]) time as a new metric for ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (RAAA) delay time to surgery, permitting coherent centralization in large territories. It demonstrates how the DEDE time can be applied, using data from the province of Quebec, and looks at its potential effect on 30-day mortality.

Methods: We used the Quebec Integrated Chronic Disease Surveillance System (QICDSS), the linkage of five health administrative databases, to build a retrospective cohort of RAAA patients repaired operatively between April 1, 2006, and March 31, 2013.

Conduit vessel blood flow during the trek to Mount Everest base camp.

Objective: Hemodynamic changes in response to the hypoxic environment of high altitude are vascular bed-specific. The aim of the present study was to investigate diameter and blood flow changes in conduit vessels in response to hypobaric hypoxia.

Methods: Eleven healthy subjects ascending Mount Everest to base camp participated in this study.

Ankle-brachial index on Kilimanjaro: lessons from high altitude.

Objective: This study investigated the effects of a high-sympathetic stimulus environment (high-altitude hypoxia) on limb-specific systolic blood pressure (sBP) and ankle-brachial index (ABI) in normal volunteers. We hypothesized that currently accepted normal values for ABI may in fact not reflect an actual normal vascular state in all patients.

Methods: Twenty climbers (17 males, 3 females) from Gatineau-Hull (Québec, Canada) participated in this study and ascended Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa.

Modification of outcomes by lowering ischemic events after reconstruction of extracranial vessels (MOLIERE): an internet-based prospective study to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of carotid endarterectomy.

Background: Independent audits have been proposed to improve carotid endarterectomy (CEA) effectiveness. This study used the online registry Modification of Outcomes by Lowering Ischemic Events after Reconstruction of Extracranial Vessels (MOLIERE) to evaluate the effectiveness of CEA in the Province of Quebec. The concept of MOLIERE is that surgeon involvement in a prospective manner is a prerequisite for them to evaluate, compare, and improve their practice.

Cardiac medical therapy among patients undergoing abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

Open abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair is a common surgical procedure associated with high mortality rates. Our objective was to describe the use of in-hospital cardiac medical therapy among patients undergoing open AAA repair and to examine the effect of perioperative cardiac medical therapy on in-hospital mortality. We examined clinical data and in-hospital medication use among 223 patients who underwent open AAA repair at three North American hospitals, all of which used the Transition resource and cost accounting system.