Impact of Calcification on the Outcomes of Femoropopliteal Artery Endovascular Treatment Using a Polymer Coated Drug-Eluting Stent.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of calcification on the 12 and 24 months outcomes of the Eluvia™ (Boston Scientific®) drug-eluting stent (DES) for femoropopliteal occlusive disease using three different calcium scoring systems.

Material And Methods: A single-center, retrospective cohort-study (March-2016 to December-2018) of patients treated with the Eluvia™ DES for femoropopliteal atherosclerosis was performed. Outcomes included primary and secondary patency rates and freedom from target lesion revascularization (FTLR) and were analyzed by comparing the impact of calcium burden according to the following calcium scores: Peripheral Arterial Calcium Scoring System (PACSS) score, number of vessel quadrants affected (0-4) and calcification score per Peripheral Academic Research Consortium (PARC) definitions.

Endovascular Repair of One-hundred Urgent and Emergent free or Contained Thoraco-abdominal Aortic Aneurysms Ruptures. An International Multi-Center Trans-Atlantic experience.

Objective: To analyze the outcomes of urgent/emergent endovascular aortic repair of patients with free/contained ruptured thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (rTAAA).

Background: Endovascular repair of rTAAA has been scarcely described in emergent setting.

Methods: An international multicenter retrospective observational study (ClinicalTrials.

Perioperative point-of-care-testing of plasmacholinesterases identifies older patients at risk for postoperative delirium: an observational prospective cohort study.

Background: Postoperative delirium (POD) is a severe perioperative complication that may increase mortality and length-of-stay in older patients. Moreover, POD is a major economic burden to any healthcare system. An altered expression of Acetylcholine- and Butyrylcholinesterases (AChE, BuChE) due to an unbalanced neuroinflammatory response to trauma or an operative stimulus has been reported to play an essential role in the development of POD.

Outcomes After Open Surgical, Hybrid, and Endovascular Revascularization for Acute Limb Ischemia.

Purpose: To report the performance of surgical treatment (ST), hybrid treatment (HT), and endovascular treatment (ET) for patients with acute limb ischemia (ALI).

Methods: This is a retrospective, comparative study of all consecutive patients with ALI treated in 2 tertiary centers between April 2010 and April 2020. Amputation and/or death (amputation-free survival; AFS) was the primary composite endpoint.

Analysis of the Spinopelvic Parameters in Patients with Fragility Fractures of the Pelvis.

Background: We investigated the spinopelvic parameters of lumbar lordosis (LL), pelvic incidence (PI), pelvic tilt (PT) and sacral slope (SS) in patients with fragility fractures of the pelvis (FFPs). We hypothesized that these parameters differ from asymptomatic patients.

Methods: All patients treated for FFPs in a center of maximal care of the German Spine Society (DWG) between 2017 and 2021 were included.

Intravascular Lithotripsy and Drug-Coated Balloon Angioplasty for Severely Calcified Common Femoral Artery Atherosclerotic Disease.

Objectives: Intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) followed by drug-coated balloon (DCB) angioplasty might be a valuable alternative to surgery for calcified common femoral artery (CFA) atherosclerotic disease. Nonetheless, the 12 months performance of this treatment strategy remains unknown. This study reports on the 12 months outcomes of IVL with adjunctive DCB angioplasty for calcified CFA lesions.

Microvascular and proteomic signatures overlap in COVID-19 and bacterial sepsis: the MICROCODE study.

Aims: Although coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and bacterial sepsis are distinct conditions, both are known to trigger endothelial dysfunction with corresponding microcirculatory impairment. The purpose of this study was to compare microvascular injury patterns and proteomic signatures in COVID-19 and bacterial sepsis patients.

Methods And Results: This multi-center, observational study included 22 hospitalized adult COVID-19 patients, 43 hospitalized bacterial sepsis patients, and 10 healthy controls from 4 hospitals.

Intravascular Lithotripsy and Drug-Coated Balloon Angioplasty for Severely Calcified Femoropopliteal Arterial Disease.

Introduction: The combination of intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) and drug-coated balloon (DCB) angioplasty for calcified peripheral lesions is associated with promising short-term results. However, data regarding the 12 months performance of this treatment option is missing. This study reports on the outcomes of IVL and DCB angioplasty for calcified femoropopliteal disease.

The prospective GermanVasc cohort study.

Previous observational studies reported a wide variation and possible room for improvement in the treatment of patients suffering from symptomatic peripheral artery disease (PAD). Yet, systematic assessment of everyday clinical practice is lacking. A General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliant registry was developed and used to collect comprehensive data on clinical treatment and outcomes regarding PAD in Germany.

Microvascular dysfunction in COVID-19: the MYSTIC study.

Rationale: Pre-clinical and autopsy studies have fueled the hypothesis that a dysregulated vascular endothelium might play a central role in the pathogenesis of ARDS and multi-organ failure in COVID-19.

Objectives: To comprehensively characterize and quantify microvascular alterations in patients with COVID-19.

Methods: Hospitalized adult patients with moderate-to-severe or critical COVID-19 (n = 23) were enrolled non-consecutively in this prospective, observational, cross-sectional, multi-center study.

Fluorescence Imaging of Breast Tumors and Gastrointestinal Cancer.

Optical imaging offers a high potential for noninvasive detection and therapy of cancer in humans. Recent advances in instrumentation for diffuse optical imaging have led to new capabilities for the detection of cancer in highly scattering tissue such as the female breast. In particular, fluorescence imaging was made applicable as a sensitive technique to image molecular probes in vivo.

How to deal with calcium in the superficial femoral artery.

Despite the continuous evolution of endovascular therapy, severe calcification remains a major issue for the minimally invasive treatment of superficial femoral artery (SFA) disease. The presence of calcium might negatively affect both the crossing of peripheral lesions and outcomes of all available treatment modalities and is therefore associated with unfavorable acute and long-term results. This manuscript summarizes the challenges raised from severe calcified atherosclerotic lesions and presents the outcomes of the various endovascular modalities in the treatment of calcified SFA disease.

Optical coherence tomography guided directional atherectomy with antirestenotic therapy for femoropopliteal arterial disease.

Background: Optical coherence tomography (OCT)-guided directional atherectomy enables a real-time visualization of the arterial wall during plaque debulking and might optimize vessel preparation prior to drug-coated balloon (DCB) angioplasty. Nonetheless there is a paucity of data reporting on the outcomes of OCT-guided directional atherectomy with antirestenotic therapy (DAART). Aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of OCT-guided DAART in the treatment of femoropopliteal atherosclerosis.

One-Year Results of First-Line Treatment Strategies in Patients With Critical Limb Ischemia (CRITISCH Registry).

Purpose: To examine the outcomes of all first-line strategies for the treatment of critical limb ischemia (CLI), identify factors that influenced the treatment choice, and determine the risk of amputation or death after each treatment.

Methods: CRITISCH ( ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT01877252) is a multicenter, national, prospective registry evaluating all available treatment strategies applied in 1200 consecutive CLI patients in 27 vascular centers in Germany.

Surgical versus endovascular revascularization of subclavian artery arteriosclerotic disease.

Background: Endovascular treatment offers an alternative, less invasive approach to open repair for subclavian artery atherosclerotic disease (SAAD). However, only few studies compared the outcomes of both strategies in the long run. This study reports on the performance of endovascular and surgical revascularization for SAAD.

[Dysphagia and tonsillitis in a 25-year-old male patient : The nearly forgotten severe complication of a common ailment].

We report the case of a patient with a severe dysphagia accompanying progressive tonsillitis. The clinical examination supported the possibility of a severe septic soft tissue infection. The blood cultures revealed a largely anaerobic sepsis with Fusobacterium necrophorum.

Directional Atherectomy With Antirestenotic Therapy vs Drug-Coated Balloon Angioplasty Alone for Common Femoral Artery Atherosclerotic Disease.

Purpose: To report an experience using directional atherectomy (DA) with antirestenotic therapy (DAART) in the form of drug-coated balloon (DCB) angioplasty vs DCB angioplasty alone in common femoral artery (CFA) occlusive lesions.

Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of 47 consecutive patients (mean age 71 years; 26 men) treated between October 2011 and July 2016 using either DCB angioplasty alone (n=26) or DAART (n=21) for CFA lesions. The majority of patients had lifestyle-limiting claudication (14 DCB and 15 DAART).

Incidence and prognostic factors related to major adverse cerebrovascular events in patients with complex aortic diseases treated by the chimney technique.

Objective: Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) with the chimney technique (ch-EVAR) has been used for the treatment of aortic aneurysms as an alternative approach to fenestrated endografting or open repair. Nonetheless, the need for an upper extremity arterial access may contribute to a higher risk for periprocedural cerebrovascular events. This study reports on the perioperative cerebral and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) after ch-EVAR.

Outcome After Crossing Femoropopliteal Chronic Total Occlusions Based on Optical Coherence Tomography Guidance.

Aims: The crossing of chronic total occlusions (CTOs) is the key step for an endovascular treatment. The Ocelot system is a novel device that combines a steerable drilling tip with optical coherence tomography (OCT) technology. It provides intraluminal imaging to help the crossing of CTOs in the femoropopliteal segment.

Association between statin therapy and amputation-free survival in patients with critical limb ischemia in the CRITISCH registry.

Objective: Secondary prevention in patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI) is crucial for the reduction of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Nonetheless, current recommendations are extrapolated from other high-risk populations because of the lack of CLI-dedicated trials. The aim of this explorative study was to evaluate the association of statin therapy with the outcomes of CLI patients.

Vascular Graft Impregnation with Antibiotics: The Influence of High Concentrations of Rifampin, Vancomycin, Daptomycin, and Bacteriophage Endolysin HY-133 on Viability of Vascular Cells.

BACKGROUND Rifampin-soaked synthetic prosthetic grafts have been widely used for prevention or treatment of vascular graft infections (VGIs). This in vitro study investigated the effect of the antibiotics daptomycin and vancomycin and the new recombinant bacteriophage endolysin HY-133 on vascular cells, as potential alternatives compared to rifampin. MATERIAL AND METHODS Primary human ECs, vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMC), and fibroblasts were cultivated in 96-well plates and incubated with rifampin, daptomycin, vancomycin, and endolysin HY-133 for 24 h.

Outcomes After Endovascular Revascularization in Octogenarians and Non-Octogenarians With Critical Limb Ischemia.

Purpose: To determine the outcome and periprocedural risk of endovascular revascularization in octogenarians with critical limb ischemia (CLI) compared with their younger counterparts.

Methods: The multicenter, prospective registry for First-line Treatments in Patients With Critical Limb Ischemia (CRITISCH) enrolled 642 patients treated with endovascular techniques ( ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT01877252).