Polarization-independent atomic prism filter for removing amplified spontaneous emission.

We create an optical frequency, polarization-independent, narrow bandpass filter of 1.3 GHz (3 dB bandwidth), using the steep dispersion near the rubidium D atomic transitions within a prism-shaped vapor cell. This enables us to clean the amplified spontaneous emission from a laser by more than 3 orders of magnitude.

Initial Clinical Experience: Symmetric-Tip Dialysis Catheter with Helical Flow Characteristics Improves Patient Outcomes.

Purpose: To report preliminary clinical experience with a new symmetric-tip dialysis catheter compared with a conventional split-tip catheter.

Materials And Methods: Over a 5-month period, patients requiring a tunneled catheter for hemodialysis or undergoing exchange of a dysfunctional dialysis catheter at a tertiary academic medical center were retrospectively analyzed. Patients underwent placement of a VectorFlow or Ash Split Cath catheter at the discretion of the inserting interventional radiologist.

Outcomes of percutaneous interventions in transposed hemodialysis fistulas compared with nontransposed fistulas and grafts.

Purpose: To compare postpercutaneous intervention outcomes of autogenous venous-transposition arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) versus those of autogenous nontransposed AVFs (nAVFs) and prosthetic arteriovenous grafts (AVGs).

Materials And Methods: A total of 591 hemodialysis accesses (195 transposed AVFs [tAVFs], 205 nAVFs, 191 AVGs) in 522 patients (278 male; mean age, 57 y; range, 15–91 y) underwent percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) and/or mechanical thrombectomy (ie, declotting). Access characteristics, surgical history, percutaneous interventions, postinterventional primary and secondary access patency, and follow-up data were collected.

Outcomes of thrombectomy procedures performed in hemodialysis grafts with early failure.

Purpose: Percutaneous declotting is usually not offered for hemodialysis access grafts clotting < 30 days after placement because of concerns regarding safety of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty in fresh anastomoses, potential need for surgical correction of the underlying cause, and poor outcomes. The authors sought to determine acute and long-term outcomes of declotting of grafts with early failure.

Materials And Methods: Of 860 percutaneous mechanical thrombectomies performed between July 2001 and June 2007, 23 were performed in grafts < 30 days after initial placement.