Intravascular Ultrasound Use in Peripheral Arterial and Deep Venous Interventions: Multidisciplinary Expert Opinion From SCAI/AVF/AVLS/SIR/SVM/SVS.

Percutaneous revascularization is the primary strategy for treating lower extremity venous and arterial disease. Angiography is limited by its ability to accurately size vessels, precisely determine the degree of stenosis and length of lesions, characterize lesion morphology, or correctly diagnose postintervention complications. These limitations are overcome with use of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS).

Intravascular Ultrasound Use in Peripheral Arterial and Deep Venous Interventions: Multidisciplinary Expert Opinion From SCAI/AVF/AVLS/SIR/SVM/SVS.

Percutaneous revascularization is the primary strategy for treating lower extremity venous and arterial disease. Angiography is limited by its ability to accurately size vessels, precisely determine the degree of stenosis and length of lesions, characterize lesion morphology, or correctly diagnose postintervention complications. These limitations are overcome with use of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS).

A Primary Care System to Improve Health Care Efficiency: Lessons from Ecuador.

Ecuador is a country with few resources to spend on health care. Historically, Ecuador has struggled to find a model for health care that is efficient, effective, and available to all people in the country, even those in underserved and rural communities. In 2000, the Ecuador Ministry of Public Health implemented a new system of health care that used primary care as its platform.

Real-Time Automated Sampling of Electronic Medical Records Predicts Hospital Mortality.

Background: Real-time automated continuous sampling of electronic medical record data may expeditiously identify patients at risk for death and enable prompt life-saving interventions. We hypothesized that a real-time electronic medical record-based alert could identify hospitalized patients at risk for mortality.

Methods: An automated alert was developed and implemented to continuously sample electronic medical record data and trigger when at least 2 of 4 systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria plus at least one of 14 acute organ dysfunction parameters was detected.

Segmental arterial mediolysis and fibromuscular dysplasia: what comes first, the chicken or the egg?

Segmental arterial mediolysis (SAM) is a rare vasculopathy characterized by lysis of the outer media in splanchnic arteries and formation of dissecting pseudoaneurysms that may spontaneously rupture, leading to massive and often fatal intraabdominal hemorrhage. The pathogenesis of SAM is poorly understood. Healed SAM lesions closely resemble fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD), leading some authors to postulate that SAM represents a precursor to FMD despite distinct clinical differences between these two disorders.