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The reported incidence of incisional hernia following repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) via midline laparotomy is up to 69%. This prospective, multicenter, double-blind, randomised controlled trial was conducted at eleven hospitals in Germany. Patients aged 18 years or older undergoing elective AAA-repair via midline incision were randomly assigned using a computer-generated randomisation sequence to one of three groups for fascial closure: with long-term absorbable suture (MonoPlus®, group I), long-term absorbable suture and onlay mesh reinforcement (group II) or extra long-term absorbable suture (MonoMax®, group III). The primary endpoint was the incidence of incisional hernia within 24 months of follow-up, analysed by intention to treat. Physicians conducting the postoperative visits and the patients were blinded. Between February 2011 and July 2013, 104 patients (69.8 ± 7.7 years) were randomised, 99 of them received a study intervention. The rate of incisional hernia within 24 months was not significantly reduced with onlay mesh augmentation compared to primary suture (p = 0.290). Furthermore, the rate of incisional hernia did not differ significantly between fascial closure with slow and extra long-term absorbable suture (p = 0.111). Serious adverse events related to study intervention occurred in five patients (5.1%) from treatment groups II and III. Wound healing disorders were more frequently seen after onlay mesh implantation on the day of discharge (p = 0.010) and three (p = 0.009) and six (p = 0.023) months postoperatively. The existing evidence on prophylactic mesh augmentation in patients undergoing AAA-repair via midline laparotomy probably needs critical review. As the implementation of new RCTs is considered difficult due to the increasing number of endovascular AAA treated, registry studies could help to collect and evaluate data in cases of open AAA-repair. Comparisons between prophylactic mesh implantation and the small bite technique are also required. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01353443. Funding Sources: Aesculap AG, Tuttlingen, Germany.

Janine Topp,1 Christine Blome,1 Matthias Augustin,1 Nicole Mohr,1 Eike Sebastian Debus,2 Holger Diener,2 Rachel Sommer1 1Institute for Health Services Research in Dermatology and Nursing (IVDP), German Center for Health Services Research in Dermatology (CVderm), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany; 2Department of Vascular Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg‐Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, GermanyCorrespondence: Rachel SommerInstitute for Health Services Research in Dermatology and Nursing (IVDP), German Center for Health Services Research in Dermatology (CVderm), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, GermanyTel +49 (0) 40 7410 24724Fax +49 (0) 40 7410 40160Email r.sommer@uke.deBackground: The questionnaire for the quality of life with chronic wounds (Wound-QoL) is a valid and reliable instrument to determine the disease-specific health-related QoL of patients with chronic wounds. For the interpretation of HRQoL scores, it is additionally important to know which differences in scores are considered meaningful. The minimal important difference (MID) is defined as a change in HRQoL that a patient would consider meaningful, such that the patient would judge a treatment to be beneficial and worthy of repeating.Objective: To interpret changes in the Wound-QoL scores and draw conclusions regarding the relevance of detected changes; the purpose of this study was to estimate the MID of the Wound-QoL global score and its subscales for patients with chronic wounds.Patients and Methods: Patients completed the Wound-QoL before and four to six weeks after treatment and additionally gave a global rating of wound status change after treatment. The global rating of change served as an anchor question. MIDs were calculated based on an anchor-based and a distribution-based method.Results: In total, 227 patients participated in the study. The mean age of the study population was 66.9 (± 12.7) median was 69.5, and 51.5% of the patients were female. MIDs for the Wound-QoL global score ranged from 0.47 to 0.52, proposing an overall estimation of 0.50.Conclusion: The results can be used to measure and interpret changes in wound-specific QoL over time.Keywords: MID, minimal important difference, health-related quality of life, chronic wounds

BACKGROUND The worldwide prevalence of peripheral artery disease (PAD) is increasing and endovascular revascularisation (ER) has become the primary invasive treatment option. This study aims to illuminate gender disparities in ER of PAD. METHODS This is a retrospective, cross sectional study design. All inpatient invasive, percutaneous endovascular treatments of PAD conducted in the metropolitan area of Hamburg (Germany) were collected consecutively between 01/2004 and 12/2015. Relevant socio-demographic risk factors, technical assessments, procedural details, and in hospital outcomes were collected and subsequently analysed. RESULTS A total of 23,715 ERs were identified (39.7% females). Female patients were older (74 vs. 70 years, p

Abstract. Background: Worldwide prevalence of peripheral artery disease (PAD) is increasing and peripheral vascular intervention (PVI) has become the primary invasive treatment. There is evidence that multidisciplinary team decision-making (MTD) has an impact on in-hospital outcomes. This study aims to depict practice patterns and time changes regarding MTD of different medical specialties. Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study design. 20,748 invasive, percutaneous PVI of PAD conducted in the metropolitan area of Hamburg (Germany) were consecutively collected between January 2004 and December 2014. Results: MTD prior to PVI was associated with lower odds of early unsuccessful termination of the procedures (Odds Ratio 0.662, p < 0.001). The proportion of MTD decreased over the study period (30.9 % until 2009 vs. 16.6 % from 2010, p < 0.001) while rates of critical limb-threatening ischemia (34.5 % vs. 42.1 %), patients´ age (70 vs. 72 years), PVI below-the-knee (BTK) (13.2 % vs. 22.4 %), and rates of severe TASC C/D lesions BTK (43.2 % vs. 54.2 %) increased (all p < 0.001). Utilization of MTD was different between medical specialties with lowest frequency in procedures performed by internists when compared to other medical specialties (7.1 % vs. 25.7 %, p < 0.001). Conclusions: MTD prior to PVI is associated with technical success of the procedure. Nonetheless, rates of MTD prior to PVI are decreasing during the study period. Future studies should address the impact of multidisciplinary vascular teams on long-term outcomes.

Objective The aim of this paper was to provide recommendations for diagnosis and management in the setting of infection following open or endovascular reconstructions of the supra-aortic trunks. Methods A review of the Medline database was performed from 1997 to 2017 by a combined strategy of MeSh terms. Results The literature search identified 49 publications: 36 studies addressing prosthetic material infections and 13 studies addressing stent infections. A total of 140 cases of prosthetic material infections were reported, mostly involving carotid patches. Surgical treatment was mostly based on complete removal of the infected material followed by in situ arterial reconstruction (86 cases, 62.3%). Peri-operative complications included cranial nerve injury in 17 cases (12.5%), stroke in eight (6.7%), bleeding in four (2.9%), re-infection in five (3.6%), and cardiac failure in three cases (2.2%). Stent infections were reported in 12 patients: eight carotid stents, three subclavian stents and one tandem brachiocephalic subclavian stent. Treatment was not described for one case, was conservative in one case, consisted of stent removal with venous reconstruction in six cases, stent removal without reconstruction because of carotid thrombosis in two cases, and carotid embolisation in two cases. Complications included intra-operative death in one case (9.1%), stroke in two (18.2%), reinfection in one (9.1%), bleeding in one (9.1%), and cardiac failure in one case (9.1%). Conclusion Appropriate pre-operative imaging is mandatory and treatment modality should be determined by patient condition. Complete removal of the infected material, followed by in situ arterial reconstruction with venous material seems advisable, despite high morbidity. However, alternative strategies may be considered for fragile and high risk patients. A multidisciplinary approach is mandatory to ensure optimum results.

Objective This in vitro study investigates the antimicrobial efficacy of impregnation of commercially available aortic endografts (EG) with rifampicin (RIF) and nanocolloidal silver. Methods Endografts were flushed with 50 mL of RIF 600 mg, 70 mL of a silver-based aqueous solution (AG), or 50 mL of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) over 15 minutes. Endografts were then retrieved from the sheath and cut in 1 × 1 cm sized graft units (n = 80 of each impregnation), which were then incubated for 1 hour separately with inoculates containing 106 or 103 bacteria per milliliter (bact/mL) of each of the following bacteria: Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, multisensitive Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. After sonication of the graft units, bacterial counts were measured by plating out twice the sonication solution on Mueller-Hinton plates. Results RIF showed a statistically significant decrease of colony forming units per milliliter for all four bacterial strains in both concentrations compared with PBS and AG, except for 103 bact/mL of E coli. AG showed a significant decrease of colony forming units per milliliter compared with PBS only for 106 bact/mL of E coli and was statistically significantly inferior to RIF for all four bacterial strains in both concentrations with the exception of E coli at a concentration of 103 bact/mL. Conclusions This in vitro study demonstrated infectivity resistance of aortic EG after flushing with RIF. Moreover, the feasibility of flushing aortic EG with a new silver-based agent could be demonstrated, but without statistically significant antimicrobial efficacy compared with native EG., Clinical Relevance Because the number of elective and emergency endovascular procedures on the thoracic and abdominal aorta is continuously increasing, endograft infections in both locations are also more frequently observed. The necessity and use of antimicrobial-impregnated EG in the prophylaxis or treatment of endograft infections has so far neither been discussed in the literature nor addressed in existing guidelines. This is the first study investigating the influence of antiseptic impregnations of commercially available aortic EG on in vitro contamination with bacteria commonly causing vascular graft infections. Owing to proven infectivity resistance, flushing EG with RIF could, despite known limitations, lead to a modification of established therapeutic principles in patients at high risk for aortic graft infections.

The Kerecis™ Omega3 Wound matrix is a decellularized skin matrix derived from fish skin and represents an innovative concept to achieve wound healing. The aim of this study was to report the cumulative experience of three centers for vascular surgery regarding use of the Omega3 Wound matrix in selected patients with complicated wounds. In this study 23 patients with 25 vascular and/or diabetes mellitus-associated complicated wounds and partially exposed bony segments were treated with the Omega3 Wound matrix in three vascular centers. In several patients, conventional wound treatment with vacuum therapy had previously been carried out sometimes over several weeks without durable success. Following initial debridement in the operating room, the matrix was applied and covered with a silicone mesh. In the further course, wound treatment was conducted on an outpatient setting if possible. In total 25 wounds were treated with localization at the level of the thigh (n = 2), the distal calf (n = 7), the forefoot (n = 14) and the hand (n = 2). The time to heal varied between 9 and 41 weeks and between 3 and 26 wound matrices were applied per wound. Interestingly, a reduction of analgesics intake was noted when the treatment with the Omega3 Wound matrix was initiated. The novel Omega3 Wound matrix in this study represented an effective treatment option in 25 complicated wounds. Further studies are necessary to evaluate the impact of the wound matrix on stimulation of granulation tissue and re-epithelialization as well as the potential antinociceptive and analgetic effects.

Incisional hernia is a frequent complication of midline laparotomy and enterostomal creation and is associated with high morbidity, decreased quality of life, and high costs. The International Symposium on Incisional Hernia Prevention was held October 19 –20, 2017, at the InterContinental Hotel in San Francisco, CA, hosted by the Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco. One hundred and three attendees included general and plastic surgeons from 9 countries, including principal participants for several of the seminal studies in the field. Over the course of the 2-day meeting, there were 38 oral presentations, 3 keynote lectures, and 2 panel discussions. The Symposium was a combination of new information but also a comprehensive review of the existing data so as to assess the current state of the field and to set the stage for future research. Further, the Symposium sought to increase awareness and thus emphasize the importance of preventing the formation of incisional and enterostomal hernias. pre-print 443 KB

To analyze the outcome of surgeon-modified fenestrated and branched stent-grafts (sm-FBSG) in high-risk patients with symptomatic complex aortic pathology or contained rupture.A single-center retrospective analysis was conducted of 21 consecutive patients (mean age 70 years, range 58-87; 16 men) treated with a sm-FBSG from April 2014 to September 2016. The indications included 11 thoracoabdominal and 10 pararenal aortic pathologies, which presented as symptomatic in 8 and as contained rupture in 13 patients. The mean aneurysm diameter was 7.4±2.3 cm.Technical success was 100%. From 1 to 4 (mean 3) renovisceral branch vessels were targeted with fenestrations. The mean length of in-hospital stay was 19 days (range 1-78). There was 1 death within 30 days and 2 further in-hospital deaths. Two patients suffered permanent spinal cord injury, 2 developed respiratory failure, and 2 had renal failure requiring temporary or permanent dialysis. No myocardial infarction, stroke, or bowel ischemia occurred. Six early endoleaks (3 type II and 3 minor type III) were detected. Mean follow-up was 11.2 months (range 2-33) in 17 patients. One late aneurysm-related death occurred. All 13 follow-up imaging studies showed patent target renovisceral vessels, with 1 type I and 2 type II endoleaks.Sm-FBSG can be utilized for urgent treatment of complex abdominal and thoracoabdominal aortic pathologies in high-risk patients with anatomy unsuitable for commercially available stent-grafts.

The authors regret there were mistakes in Table 12 concerning adjusted risk estimation for surgical site infections of the lower limbs. The authors would like to thank Dr Tresson and colleagues for their careful reading and to apologise for any inconvenience. Table 12 should be read as below

The complex endovascular repair of aortic aneurysms and dissections with fenestrated or branched stent grafts (FB-EVAR) remains challenging for interventional vascular surgery. To date, the evidence regarding treatment patterns and outcome measures consists of single center studies; however, it might be reasonable to validate results with multicenter real-world evidence.Health insurance claims data from Germany's third largest insurance provider, DAK-Gesundheit, were used to determine outcomes following FB-EVAR of non-ruptured thoracic aorta (TA) or thoracoabdominal including pararenal abdominal (TAA) aorta. The study included patients operated between January 2008 and April 2017.Included were 984 patients (18.1% female) who underwent FB-EVAR. Patients with treatment of the TA were younger (71.7 vs. 73.2 years,In this large-scale German analysis of claims data, multicenter real-world evidence was different from single center studies regarding patient risk-factors and outcome measures. Validated multicenter registry studies could help to further investigate this topic in times of increasing procedures.Die komplexe endovaskuläre Versorgung von Aneurysmen und Dissektionen der Aorta mithilfe von fenestrierten oder gebranchten Endoprothesen (FB-EVAR) ist noch immer eine Herausforderung für die endovaskuläre Gefäßchirurgie. Bisher besteht die Evidenzbasis zu diesem Thema weitestgehend aus Single-Center-Studien, die mit einer multizentrischen Versorgungsrealität verglichen werden sollte.Die Daten zu stationären Behandlungen der drittgrößten gesetzlichen Krankenversicherung Deutschlands, DAK-Gesundheit, wurden ausgewertet, um komplexe endovaskuläre Behandlungen der thorakalen (TA) und thorakoabdominellen inklusive der Viszeralgefäße einbeziehenden abdominellen (TAA) Aorta zu analysieren.Zwischen Januar 2008 und April 2017 wurden insgesamt 984 Patienten (18,1 % davon weiblich) endovaskulär mithilfe von fenestrierten oder gebranchten Endoprothesen an der TA oder TAA behandelt. Patienten mit Versorgung der TA waren etwas jünger (71,7 vs. 73,2 Jahre,In dieser großen Routinedatenanalyse zur Darstellung der multizentrischen Versorgungsrealität zeigten sich relevante Unterschiede sowohl hinsichtlich Patientenalter, Geschlecht und Sterblichkeit zwischen den analysierten Gruppen (TA vs. TAA) als auch im Vergleich mit den derzeit verfügbaren Studienergebnissen. Multizentrische validierte Registerstudien zum Abgleich von Primär- und Sekundärdatenquellen sind zu empfehlen.

Split-thickness skin grafting is a common procedure to treat different kinds of wounds. This systematic, multicentre, observational, cross-sectional study of adult patients with split-thickness skin graft (STSG) donor site wounds was conducted to evaluate quality of life (QoL) impairments caused by donor site wounds following split-thickness skin grafting. Therefore, 112 patients from 12 wound centres in Germany were examined based on patient and physician questionnaires as well as a physical examination of the donor site wound. Most indications for skin grafting were postsurgical treatment (n = 51; 42.5%) and chronic wounds (n = 47; 39.2%). European QoL visual analoque scale (EQ VAS) averaged 64.7 ± 23.3, European QoL 5 dimensions (EQ-5D) averaged 77.4 ± 30.0. Wound-QoL (range: 0-4) was rated 0.8 ± 0.8 post-surgery and 0.4 ± 0.6 at the time of survey (on average 21 weeks between the time points). Compared to averaged Wound-QoL scores of chronic wounds donor site-related QoL impairments in split-thickness skin-graft patients were less pronounced. There were significant differences in patient burden immediately after surgery compared to the time of the survey, with medium effect sizes. This supports the hypothesis that faster healing of the donor site wound leads to more favourable patient-reported outcomes.

Purpose: To describe a hybrid technique of reversed frozen elephant trunk to treat thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAA) through an abdominal only approach. Technique: The technique is demonstrated in a 29-year-old Marfan patient with a chronic type B aortic dissection previously treated with a thoracic stent-graft who presented with a thoracoabdominal false lumen aneurysm. Through an open distal retroperitoneal approach to the abdominal aorta, a frozen elephant trunk graft was implanted over a super-stiff wire upside down with the stent-graft component in the thoracic aorta. Following deployment of the stent-graft proximally and preservation of renovisceral perfusion in a retrograde manner, the renovisceral vessels were sequentially anastomosed to the elephant trunk graft branches, thus reducing the ischemia time of the end organs. The aortic sac was then opened, and the distal part of the hybrid graft was anastomosed with a further bifurcated graft to the iliac vessels. Conclusion: The reversed frozen elephant trunk technique is feasible for hybrid treatment of TAAAs via an abdominal approach only. This has the benefit of substantially reducing the trauma of thoracic exposure, thus preserving major benefits of open thoracoabdominal surgery, such as the presence of short bypasses to the renovisceral vessels and reimplantation of lumbar arteries to reduce spinal cord ischemia.

Objective The worldwide prevalence of peripheral artery disease (PAD) has evolved to an intervention as the primary treatment option and therefore radiation is used with escalating incidence. Dose area product (DAP) correlates well with the total energy imparted to the patient during fluoroscopic interventions. This study aims to determine whether there are any associations among stage of disease, gender, age, and expertise on the radiation dose in single endovascular treatments of PAD. Methods This study was a prospective, mandatory, population based cross-sectional registry design. In total, 24,000 invasive percutaneous endovascular treatments of PAD conducted in the metropolitan area of Hamburg (Germany) were consecutively collected between January 2004 and December 2015. DAP was analysed by discipline conducting the procedure, Fontaine classification, patient gender, and age. Results Statistically significant differences in median DAP values were found. The lowest median DAP values were observed in surgical centres (7.1 vs. 18.0 Gy*cm 2 , p 2 , p Conclusion This is the first large population based study on DAP during ER for PAD. Several significant differences in median DAP values were observed, although patient stratification was comparable. Pre-operative therapy strategy planning can lead to lower DAP values, emphasising the importance of further vascular research and quality improvement projects targeting this topic. To date, available evidence is limited and therefore there is no accepted range of DAP levels. However, the ever increasing use of fluoroscopic interventions means that further investigation into radiation exposure to patients and healthcare professionals is required in order to keep DAP levels low.

Erratum to: Gefasschirurgie (2018) https://doi.org/10.1007/s00772-018-0387-7 The article was wrongly published under the article type “Review”. Please note that the article is an “Original Paper”. The publisher apologizes to the authors and …

Wundnetze sind strukturierte Kooperationen zwischen verschiedenen Berufsgruppen und arztlichen Disziplinen im Bereich der Versorgung von Patienten mit chronischen Wunden. Angesichts der komplexen chronischen Verlaufe dieser Patienten mit einer Vielzahl potenziell relevanter Komorbiditaten und einer Vielfalt moglicher Therapieoptionen kommt der evidenzbasierten, strukturierten Versorgung von Patienten mit chronischen Wunden eine besondere Bedeutung zu. Diese Versorgung ist jedoch sehr heterogen und vielfach unkoordiniert. Bestandsaufnahme der in Deutschland aktiven regionalen Wundnetze und Charakterisierung ihrer Struktur, Aktivitaten und Zielsetzungen. Bundesweite Untersuchung, gerichtet an Wundexperten und Wundfachgesellschaften sowie zuvor kartierte Wundnetze. In den bereits bekannten Wundnetzen wurde eine aktualisierende Erhebung durchgefuhrt. Alle identifizierten Netze wurden mit einem standardisierten strukturierten Fragebogen zur Grose der Netze, zum regionalen Umfang, beteiligten arztlichen Disziplinen und Berufsgruppen sowie deren Aktivitaten erhoben. Uber die vorstrukturierten Antworten hinaus wurden Freitextangaben aufgenommen. Die Anzahl der identifizierbaren Wundnetze betrug n = 35. In einem Grosteil der Netze waren sowohl Arzte und Pflegende aus Kliniken wie auch niedergelassene Arzte und ambulante Pflegende vertreten. Die haufigsten arztlichen Disziplinen waren Gefaschirurgen (74 %) vor Allgemeinmedizinern (63 %), Diabetologen (60 %), Allgemeinchirurgen (60 %) und Dermatologen (57 %). Die haufigsten Aktivitaten waren informelle Zusammenkunfte zu Fortbildungen (77%), Austausch von Erfahrungen und Zweitmeinungen (je 71%) und Absprachen uber Patientenversorgung (69%). Nur in wenigen Fallen wurden im Rahmen der Kooperation Selektivvertrage umgesetzt. Die in Deutschland durch Eigeninitiative von Wundexperten gegrundeten Wundnetze stellen stark interdisziplinar und interprofessionell ausgerichtete Expertenplattformen mit hohem Potenzial fur eine strukturierte, effiziente Versorgung dar. Wunschenswert sind Anreize zur systematischen Nutzung dieser Strukturen im Zuge einer qualitatsverbesserten und verguteten Versorgung von Patienten mit chronischen Wunden.

With the advancement of Visual Analytics (VA) and its spread into various application fields comes along a specialization of methods and tools. This adds complexity and requires extra effort when devising domain-dependent VA solutions, as for every new domain question a new specialized tool or framework must be developed. In this paper, we investigate the possibility of using and re-using existing tools – domain-dependent and general-purpose – by loosely coupling them into specialized VA tool ensembles as needed. We call such coupling among independent tools lightweight coordination, as it is minimally-invasive, pair-wise, and opportunistic in utilizing whichever interface a VA tool offers. We propose the use of lightweight coordination for managing the workflow, the data flow, and the control flow among VA tools, and we show how it can be supported with suitable setups of the multiple tool UIs involved. This concept of lightweight coordination is exemplified with a health care scenario, where an ensemble of independent VA tools is used in a concerted way to pursue the visual analysis of a patient’s troublesome vital data.

published as a volume in Lecture Notes in Computer Science; International audience; This paper presents our design and experiment of a computerassisted class laboratory on vectors in high-school. Our main goal is to improve the acquisition on notions by all pupils, from advanced level to remedial level. Our secondary goal is to improve the motivation of pupils toward maths and sciences. Our approach consists in making the pupils practice the notions included in a given set of pedagogic objectives, and to do it through real worldinspired problems. We draw on MobiNet, a platform that simulate programmable mobiles on screen and through the network. Our class laboratory consists of a set of pre-programmed interactive simulations, allowing the pupils to react on their errors and to validate each exercise in an autonomous way. This class laboratory was conducted in the same conditions and constraints than an ordinary math lab: same duration, and no preparation of the pupils (but the ordinary math course). Still, the autonomy of the exercises and the network ability would also allow the use with no teacher on place. In this paper, we describe our vector class laboratory experiment: objectives, design, conduction, and evaluation.