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Objective: The Society of Vascular Surgery (SVS) has made it a top priority to implement verification of vascular "centers of excellence". Our institutional aortic network was established in 2008 in order to standardize care of patients with suspected acute aortic pathology. The implementation and success of this program has been previously reported. We sought to use our experience as a benchmark for which to develop prognostic modeling to quantify clinical status upon admission and help predict outcomes. Our objective was to validate the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II scoring system using a cohort of aortic emergencies transferred by an organized transfer network. Method: This was a retrospective, single institution review of patients transferred through an institutional aortic network for acute aortic pathology from 2017-2018. Demographics, comorbidities, aortic diagnosis, APACHE II score, as well as 30-day mortality were recorded. Associations with 30-day mortality were evaluated using two-sample t -tests, ANOVA models, Pearson chi-square tests and Fisher exact tests. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were fit overall and by pathology to predict 30-day mortality by Apache II total score. Results: There were 395 consecutive transfers were identified. The mean age was 64.7 years. Diagnoses included Type A Dissection (n = 134), Type B (n = 81), Aortic Aneurysm (n = 122), and PAU/IMH (n = 27). Mean APACHE II score on arrival was 12. Overall there were 53 deaths (13.4%) in the cohort. Patients that died had significantly higher Apache II total scores (11.3 vs 16.5, P <.001). The area under the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) was.66 for the full cohort, indicating a poor clinical prediction test. Conclusion: APACHE II score is a poor predictor of 30-day mortality in a large transfer network accepting all aortic emergencies. The authors believe further refining a prognostic model for diverse population will not only help in predicting outcomes but to objectively quantify illness severity in order to have a basis for comparison among institutions and verification of "centers of excellence". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Vessel wall calcification is associated with stent under-expansion and in-stent restenosis. The traditional approaches to treat peripheral artery calcification are percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) and atherectomy. Shockwave intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) uses sonic wave pressure to disrupt calcium of the severely calcified lesions. Published reports of IVL to treat in-stent restenosis are limited to coronary interventions and bare metal platforms., Methods: We describe the case of a 55-year-old male with extremely compressed under-expanded covered stents associated with severe wall calcification that resulted in stent occlusion., Results: The IVL system balloon was deployed uneventfully, in a phased manner. Bilateral bare metal stents were also placed in a kissing fashion to further re-expand the arterial segments. Reintervention with IVL facilitated successful revascularization and the stent remained patent at 24 months., Conclusion: Our case highlights the use of IVL as an effective tool in the management of vessel wall calcification both for primary and secondary interventions., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures Dr Aggarwal is involved in research funded by the Bristol Myers Squibb-Pfizer alliance and Novartis; and has served as a consultant for Lexicon Pharmaceuticals. Dr Bikdeli is supported by a Career Development Award from the American Heart Association and VIVA Physicians (#938814) (outside of the submitted work); was supported by the Scott Schoen and Nancy Adams IGNITE Award; is supported by the Mary Ann Tynan Research Scientist award from the Mary Horrigan Connors Center for Women’s Health and Gender Biology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the Heart and Vascular Center Junior Faculty Award from Brigham and Women’s Hospital; is a consulting expert, on behalf of the plaintiff, for litigation related to 2 specific brand models of IVC filters (no involvement or financial compensation in 2022 or 2023); is a member of the Medical Advisory Board for North American Thrombosis Forum; and serves in the Data Safety and Monitory Board of the NAIL-IT trial funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and Translational Sciences. Dr Hussain is funded by a Brigham and Women’s Hospital Heart and Vascular Center Faculty Award and Brigham and Women’s Osteen Award; has received research funds from Vascular Therapies (ACCESS-2 Trial) and Humacyte, Inc (V-012 Trial); and has received consulting fees from Humacyte, Inc. Dr Piazza has received research grants (paid to his institution) from Bristol Myers Squibb/Pfizer, Janssen, Alexion, Bayer, Amgen, BSC, Esperion, and the National Institutes of Health (1R01HL164717-01); and has received consulting fees for advisory roles from BSC, Amgen, PERC, NAMSA, Bristol Myers Squibb, Janssen, Penumbra, and Thrombolex. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose.

Objective: Hypogastric coverage may be required for occlusive disease at the iliac arterial bifurcation. In this study, we sought to determine patency rates of common-external iliac artery (C-EIA) bare metal stents (BMS) spanning the hypogastric origin in patients with aortoiliac occlusive disease (AIOD). In addition, we sought to identify predictors of C-EIA BMS patency loss and major adverse limb events (MALE) in patients requiring hypogastric coverage. We hypothesized that worsening stenosis of the hypogastric origin would negatively influence C-EIA stent patency and freedom from MALE., Methods: This is a single center, retrospective review of consecutive patients undergoing elective, endovascular treatment of aortoiliac disease (AIOD) between 2010 and 2018. Only patients with C-EIA BMS coverage of a patent IIA origin were included in the study. Hypogastric luminal diameter was determined from preoperative CT angiography. Analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, univariable and multivariable logistic regression, and receiver operator characteristics (ROC)., Results: There were 236 patients (318 limbs) who were included in the study. AIOD was TASC C/D in 236/318 (74.2%) of cases. C-EIA stent primary patency was 86.5% (95% confidence interval: 81.1, 91.9) at 2 years and 79.7% (72.8, 86.7) at 4 years. Freedom from ipsilateral MALE was 77.0% (71.1, 82.9) at 2 years and 68.7% (61.3, 76.2) at 4 years. Luminal diameter of the hypogastric origin was most strongly associated with loss of C-EIA BMS primary patency in multivariable analysis (hazard ratio: 0.81, p = .02). Insulin-dependent diabetes, Rutherford's class IV or above, and stenosis of the hypogastric origin were significantly predictive of MALE in both univariable and multivariable analyses. In ROC analysis, luminal diameter of the hypogastric origin was superior to chance in prediction of C-EIA primary patency loss and MALE. Hypogastric diameter >4.5 mm had a negative predictive value of 0.94 for C-EIA primary patency loss and 0.83 for MALE., Conclusions: Patency rates of C-EIA BMS are high. Hypogastric luminal diameter is an important and potentially modifiable predictor of C-EIA BMS patency and MALE in patients with AIOD., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Clinical trial enrollment provides various benefits to study participants including early access to novel therapies that may potentially alter the trajectory of disease states. Trial sponsors benefit from enrolling demographically diverse trial participants enabling the trial outcomes to be generalizable to a larger proportion of the community at large. Despite these and other well-documented benefits, clinical trial enrollment for Black and Hispanic Americans as well as women continues to be low. Specific disease states such as peripheral artery disease (PAD) have a higher prevalence and clinical outcomes are relatively worse in Black Americans compared with non-Hispanic white Americans. The recruitment process for PAD clinical trials can be costly and challenging and usually comes at the expense of representation. Participant willingness and trust, engagement, and socioeconomic status play essential roles in the representation of under-represented minority (URM) groups. Despite the contrary belief, URM groups such as Blacks and Hispanics are just as willing to participate in a clinical trial as non-Hispanic Whites. However, financial burdens, cultural barriers, and inadequate health literacy and education may impede URMs' access to clinical trials and medical care. Clinical trials' enrollment sites often pose transportation barriers and challenges that negatively impact creating a diverse study population. Lack of diversity among a trial population can stem from the stakeholder level, where corporate sponsors of academic readers do not consider diversity in clinical trials a priority due to false cost-benefit assumptions. The funding source may also impact the racial reporting or the results of a given trial. Industry-based trials have always been criticized for over-representing non-Hispanic White populations, driven by the desire to reach high completion rates with minimum financial burdens. Real efforts are warranted to ensure adequate minorities' representation in the PAD clinical trials and to the process toward the ultimate goal of developing more durable and effective PAD treatments that fit the needs of real-world populations., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Vascular access for hemodialysis is the lifeline for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD); therefore, maintenance of the vascular access is of the utmost importance. The dialysis circuit can be complicated by stenosis or thrombosis. In particular, central venous stenosis is frequently encountered in the vascular access of patients with ESRD, and this complication may require endovascular management. Conventional catheter-based venography may be inadequate for identifying dynamic forms of extrinsic compression and intravascular webs associated with these lesions. For these types of access complications, balloon angioplasty remains the first-line intervention, with stenting reserved for selected scenarios. Accurate assessment of the venous configuration is therefore important to ensure an adequate treatment response. Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) has been shown to be beneficial in lower extremity venous interventions. The use of IVUS in dialysis access interventions is currently limited but may be indicated in selected challenging clinical situations. In this article, we discuss the potential uses of IVUS in the ESRD population based on our institutional experience and on the current literature., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aim: The "2024 ACC/AHA/AACVPR/APMA/ABC/SCAI/SVM/SVN/SVS/SIR/VESS Guideline for the Management of Lower Extremity Peripheral Artery Disease" provides recommendations to guide clinicians in the treatment of patients with lower extremity peripheral artery disease across its multiple clinical presentation subsets (ie, asymptomatic, chronic symptomatic, chronic limb-threatening ischemia, and acute limb ischemia)., Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted from October 2020 to June 2022, encompassing studies, reviews, and other evidence conducted on human subjects that was published in English from PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, CINHL Complete, and other selected databases relevant to this guideline. Additional relevant studies, published through May 2023 during the peer review process, were also considered by the writing committee and added to the evidence tables where appropriate., Structure: Recommendations from the "2016 AHA/ACC Guideline on the Management of Patients With Lower Extremity Peripheral Artery Disease" have been updated with new evidence to guide clinicians. In addition, new recommendations addressing comprehensive care for patients with peripheral artery disease have been developed., (Copyright © 2024 American College of Cardiology Foundation and the American Heart Association, Inc. Published by Elsevier. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms (AAA) in females are less prevalent, have higher expansion rates and experience rupture at smaller diameters than in males. Studies have compared outcomes of the retroperitoneal (RP) and transperitoneal (TP) approach in open aortic aneurysm repair (OAR) with conflicting results. No study to date has compared the two approaches solely in females. In this study we compare midterm outcomes of the RP and TP approach in females undergoing OAR., Methods: Single-center, retrospective review of all females undergoing OAR from 2010 to 2021. Patients undergoing elective, symptomatic and ruptured OAR were included. The cohort was stratified by surgical approach RP versus TP and midterm outcomes were compared amongst the groups. Outcomes included mortality, graft related, and non-graft related complications., Results: A total of 244 patients (RP n = 133; TP n = 111) were identified. Follow-up period was 28 ± 30.7 months. Baseline perioperative characteristics were similar except that more people in the RP group had ejection fraction ((EF) > 50% (82% vs 68%), p = .037). Patients who underwent RP repair had longer visceral/renal ischemia time ( p = .01), larger graft diameter (18 vs 16 mm; p = <0.001), were more likely to have a suprarenal clamp placed(70.5 vs 48.2; p < .001), and had decreased autotransfusion volume (611 vs 861 mL; p < .01) compared to those who underwent TP repair. Number of deaths was higher in the TP group during study follow-up period (36.4 vs 23.8; p = .035), but the difference of the time to event analysis was not significant. There was no difference in all-cause survival at 36 months between RP and TP (77.8 vs 76.8; p = .045). Overall midterm complications were 9.5% in both groups. Any graft related complication was 1.8% in TP versus 3% RP ( p = .69). In a multivariable model, after adjusting for age, urgency, smoking, prior aneurysm repair, and ASA level, the hazard ratio decreases with the RP approach, however this did not reach significance ( p = .052)., Conclusion: In a 12-year period of OAR in females, TP and RP results were comparable at midterm analysis. The RP approach appeared to be used more often for OAR requiring suprarenal clamping. Although the TP group had increased mortality, the difference of the time to event analysis was not significant. Midterm postoperative complications in both groups were low. This suggests that both approaches are safe in the female population and decision should be driven by anatomy and surgeon's preference., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Background/Objectives: To evaluate radiation exposure in standard interventional radiology procedures using a twin robotic X-ray system compared to a state-of-the-art conventional angiography system. Methods: Standard interventional radiology procedures (port implantation, SIRT, and pelvic angiography) were simulated using an anthropomorphic Alderson RANDO phantom (Alderson Research Laboratories Inc. Stamford, CT, USA) on an above-the-table twin robotic X-ray scanner (Multitom Rax, Siemens Healthineers, Forchheim, Germany) and a conventional below-the-table angiography system (Artis Zeego, Siemens Healthineers, Forchheim, Germany). The phantom's radiation exposure (representing the potential patient on the procedure table) was measured with thermoluminescent dosimeters. Height-dependent dose curves were generated for examiners and radiation technologists in representative positions using a RaySafe X2 system (RaySafe, Billdal, Sweden). Results: For all scenarios, the device-specific dose distribution differs depending on the imaging chain, with specific advantages and disadvantages. Radiation exposure for the patient is significantly increased when using the Multitom Rax for pelvic angiography compared to the Artis Zeego, which is evident in the dose progression through the phantom's body as well as in the organ-related radiation exposure. In line with these findings, there is an increased radiation exposure for the performing proceduralist, especially at eye level, which can be significantly minimized by using protective equipment ( p < 0.001). Conclusions: In this study, the state-of-the-art conventional below-the-table angiography system is associated with lower radiation dose exposures for both the patient and the interventional radiology physician compared to an above-the-table twin robotic X-ray system for pelvic angiographies. However, in other clinical scenarios (port implantation or SIRT), both devices are suitable options with acceptable radiation exposure.

Objective: Superior mesenteric artery (SMA) stenting is the preferred approach for patients with symptomatic SMA-associated chronic mesenteric ischemia (CMI). The durability of this modality is impacted by in-stent restenosis (ISR). Duplex ultrasound (DUS) and computed tomographic angiography (CTA)-measured ISR may be weakly correlated and not uniformly associated with recurrence of presenting symptoms. This study aims to analyze the association between the degree of ISR for patients with CMI and to develop a predictive model for symptom recurrence., Methods: Single center, retrospective study included all patients with CMI with SMA stents from the period of 2003 to 2020. Follow-up period analysis included patients' symptoms recurrence, DUS, CTA, and angiography. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate whether peak systolic velocity (PSV) was predictive of symptom recurrence. A subgroup analysis of patients (asymptomatic and symptomatic) with SMA ISR was identified; restenosis defined by DUS with peak systolic velocity (PSV) ≥350., Results: The study included 186 patients with the ROC analysis obtained from 503 postoperative visits. PSV was not a predictor of symptoms return with area under the curve (AUC) = 0.49 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.40-0.57). Agreement analysis between imaging modalities showed higher agreement between CTA and angiogram (AUC, 0.769; 95% CI, 0.688-0.849) vs CTA and DUS (AUC, 0.650; 95% CI, 0.589-0.711). The subgroup analysis of patients with ISR included 99 patients (asymptomatic n = 67; symptomatic n = 32). There was no statistical difference between median time (months) to ISR between both groups: 4.5 (asymptomatic group) and 7.6 (symptomatic group). The use of preoperative antiplatelet (86% vs 65%; P = .015) and P2Y12 receptor blockers (36% vs 13%; P = .016) was more prevalent in the asymptomatic group. There was no difference between the type or number of stents placed, stent diameter, or concomitant celiac artery intervention between both groups., Conclusions: The natural history of SMA and multimodality defined ISR in CMI has not previously been described. Elevated PSV was a poor predictor of symptoms recurrence. Both asymptomatic and symptomatic patients with ISR did not differ in type of stent placed, time to ISR, or involvement of celiac artery. Antiplatelet use pre- and postoperatively appears protective against symptoms recurrence. Our findings underscore the need for long-term surveillance integrating clinical evaluation and multimodality imaging when indicated., Competing Interests: Disclosures None., (Copyright © 2023 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Diabetes related foot complications have become a major cause of morbidity and are implicated in most major and minor amputations globally. Approximately 50% of people with diabetes and a foot ulcer have peripheral artery disease (PAD) and the presence of PAD significantly increases the risk of adverse limb and cardiovascular events. The International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF) has published evidence based guidelines on the management and prevention of diabetes related foot complications since 1999. This guideline is an update of the 2019 IWGDF guideline on the diagnosis, prognosis and management of peripheral artery disease in people with diabetes mellitus and a foot ulcer. For this guideline the IWGDF, the European Society for Vascular Surgery and the Society for Vascular Surgery decided to collaborate to develop a consistent suite of recommendations relevant to clinicians in all countries. This guideline is based on three new systematic reviews. Using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation framework clinically relevant questions were formulated, and the literature was systematically reviewed. After assessing the certainty of the evidence, recommendations were formulated which were weighed against the balance of benefits and harms, patient values, feasibility, acceptability, equity, resources required, and when available, costs. Through this process five recommendations were developed for diagnosing PAD in a person with diabetes, with and without a foot ulcer or gangrene. Five recommendations were developed for prognosis relating to estimating likelihood of healing and amputation outcomes in a person with diabetes and a foot ulcer or gangrene. Fifteen recommendations were developed related to PAD treatment encompassing prioritisation of people for revascularisation, the choice of a procedure and post-surgical care. In addition, the Writing Committee has highlighted key research questions where current evidence is lacking. The Writing Committee believes that following these recommendations will help healthcare professionals to provide better care and will reduce the burden of diabetes related foot complications., (© The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of The Society for Vascular Surgery, Elsevier B.V on behalf of European Society for Vascular Surgery and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Introduction: The presence of peripheral artery disease (PAD) confers a significantly increased risk of failure to heal and major lower limb amputation for people with diabetes-related foot ulcer (DFU). Determining performance of non-invasive bedside tests for predicting likely DFU outcomes is therefore key to effective risk stratification of patients with DFU and PAD to guide management decisions. The aim of this systematic review was to determine the performance of non-invasive bedside tests for PAD to predict DFU healing, healing post-minor amputation, or need for minor or major amputation in people with diabetes and DFU or gangrene., Methods: A database search of Medline and Embase was conducted from 1980 to 30 November 2022. Prospective studies that evaluated non-invasive bedside tests in patients with diabetes, with and without PAD and foot ulceration or gangrene to predict the outcomes of DFU healing, minor amputation, and major amputation with or without revascularisation, were eligible. Included studies were required to have a minimum 6-month follow-up period and report adequate data to calculate the positive likelihood ratio (PLR) and negative likelihood ratio for the outcomes of DFU healing, and minor and major amputation. Methodological quality was assessed using the Quality in Prognosis Studies tool., Results: From 14,820 abstracts screened 28 prognostic studies met the inclusion criteria. The prognostic tests evaluated by the studies included: ankle-brachial index (ABI) in 9 studies; ankle pressures in 10 studies, toe-brachial index in 4 studies, toe pressure in 9 studies, transcutaneous oxygen pressure (TcPO 2 ) in 7 studies, skin perfusion pressure in 5 studies, continuous wave Doppler (pedal waveforms) in 2 studies, pedal pulses in 3 studies, and ankle peak systolic velocity in 1 study. Study quality was variable. Common reasons for studies having a moderate or high risk of bias were poorly described study participation, attrition rates, and inadequate adjustment for confounders. In people with DFU, toe pressure ≥30 mmHg, TcPO 2 ≥25 mmHg, and skin perfusion pressure of ≥40 mmHg were associated with a moderate to large increase in pretest probability of healing in people with DFU. Toe pressure ≥30 mmHg was associated with a moderate increase in healing post-minor amputation. An ABI using a threshold of ≥0.9 did not increase the pretest probability of DFU healing, whereas an ABI <0.5 was associated with a moderate increase in pretest probability of non-healing. Few studies investigated amputation outcomes. An ABI <0.4 demonstrated the largest increase in pretest probability of a major amputation (PLR ≥10)., Conclusions: Prognostic capacity of bedside testing for DFU healing and amputation is variable. A toe pressure ≥30 mmHg, TcPO 2 ≥25 mmHg, and skin perfusion pressure of ≥40 mmHg are associated with a moderate to large increase in pretest probability of healing in people with DFU. There are little data available evaluating the prognostic capacity of bedside testing for healing after minor amputation or for major amputation in people with DFU. Current evidence suggests that an ABI <0.4 may be associated with a large increase in risk of major amputation. The findings of this systematic review need to be interpreted in the context of limitations of available evidence, including varying rates of revascularisation, lack of post-revascularisation bedside testing, and heterogenous subpopulations., (© 2023 The Authors. Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Introduction: Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is associated with an increased likelihood of delayed or non-healing of a diabetes-related foot ulcer, gangrene, and amputation. The selection of the most effective surgical technique for revascularisation of the lower limb in this population is challenging and there is a lack of conclusive evidence to support the choice of intervention. This systematic review aimed to determine, in people with diabetes and tissue loss, if direct revascularisation is superior to indirect revascularisation and if endovascular revascularisation is superior to open revascularisation for the outcomes of wound healing, minor or major amputation, and adverse events including mortality., Methods: Title and abstract searches of Medline, Embase, PubMed, and EBSCO were conducted from 1980 to 30th November 2022. Cohort and case-control studies and randomised controlled trials reporting comparative outcomes of direct (angiosome) revascularisation (DR) and indirect revascularisation (IR) or the comparative outcomes of endovascular revascularisation and open or hybrid revascularisation for the outcomes of healing, minor amputation, and major amputation in people with diabetes, PAD and tissue loss (including foot ulcer and/or gangrene) were eligible. Methodological quality was assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomised trials, the ROBINS-I tool for non-randomised studies, and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for observational and cohort studies where details regarding the allocation to intervention groups were not provided., Results: From a total 7086 abstracts retrieved, 26 studies met the inclusion criteria for the comparison of direct angiosome revascularisation (DR) and indirect revascularisation (IR), and 11 studies met the inclusion criteria for the comparison of endovascular and open revascularisation. One study was included in both comparisons. Of the included studies, 35 were observational (31 retrospective and 4 prospective cohorts) and 1 was a randomised controlled trial. Cohort study quality was variable and generally low, with common sources of bias related to heterogeneous participant populations and interventions and lack of reporting of or adjusting for confounding factors. The randomised controlled trial had a low risk of bias. For studies of DR and IR, results were variable, and it is uncertain if one technique is superior to the other for healing, prevention of minor or major amputation, or mortality. However, the majority of studies reported that a greater proportion of participants receiving DR healed compared with IR, and that IR with collaterals may have similar outcomes to DR for wound healing. For patients with diabetes, infrainguinal PAD, and an adequate great saphenous vein available for use as a bypass conduit who were deemed suitable for either surgical procedure, an open revascularisation first approach was superior to endovascular therapy to prevent a major adverse limb event or death (Hazard Ratio: 0.72; 95% CI 0.61-0.86). For other studies of open and endovascular approaches, there was generally no difference in outcomes between the interventions., Conclusions: The majority of available evidence for the effectiveness of DR and IR and open and endovascular revascularisation for wound healing and prevention of minor and major amputation and adverse events including mortality in people with diabetes, PAD and tissue loss is inconclusive, and the certainty of evidence is very low. Data from one high quality randomised controlled trial supports the use of open over endovascular revascularisation to prevent a major limb event and death in people with diabetes, infrainguinal disease and tissue loss who have an adequate great saphenous vein available and who are deemed suitable for either approach., (© 2023 The Authors. Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

As a progressive disease process, early diagnosis and ongoing monitoring and treatment of lower limb peripheral artery disease (PAD) is critical to reduce the risk of diabetes-related foot ulcer (DFU) development, non-healing of wounds, infection and amputation, in addition to cardiovascular complications. There are a variety of non-invasive tests available to diagnose PAD at the bedside, but there is no consensus as to the most diagnostically accurate of these bedside investigations or their reliability for use as a method of ongoing monitoring. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review was to first determine the diagnostic accuracy of non-invasive bedside tests for identifying PAD compared to an imaging reference test and second to determine the intra- and inter-rater reliability of non-invasive bedside tests in adults with diabetes. A database search of Medline and Embase was conducted from 1980 to 30 November 2022. Prospective and retrospective investigations of the diagnostic accuracy of bedside testing in people with diabetes using an imaging reference standard and reliability studies of bedside testing techniques conducted in people with diabetes were eligible. Included studies of diagnostic accuracy were required to report adequate data to calculate the positive likelihood ratio (PLR) and negative likelihood ratio (NLR) which were the primary endpoints. The quality appraisal was conducted using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies and Quality Appraisal of Reliability quality appraisal tools. From a total of 8517 abstracts retrieved, 40 studies met the inclusion criteria for the diagnostic accuracy component of the review and seven studies met the inclusion criteria for the reliability component of the review. Most studies investigated the diagnostic accuracy of ankle -brachial index (ABI) (N = 38). In people with and without DFU, PLRs ranged from 1.69 to 19.9 and NLRs from 0.29 to 0.84 indicating an ABI <0.9 increases the likelihood of disease (but the extent of the increase ranges from a small to large amount) and an ABI within the normal range (≥0.90 and <1.3) does not exclude PAD. For toe-brachial index (TBI), a threshold of <0.70 has a moderate ability to rule PAD in and out; however, this is based on limited evidence. Similarly, a small number of studies indicate that one or more monophasic Doppler waveforms in the pedal arteries is associated with the presence of PAD, whereas tri- or biphasic waveform suggests that PAD is less likely. Several forms of bedside testing may also be useful as adjunct tests and 7 studies were identified that investigated the reliability of bedside tests including ABI, toe pressure, TBI, transcutaneous oxygen pressure (TcPO 2 ) and pulse palpation. Inter-rater reliability was poor for pulse palpation and moderate for TcPO 2. The ABI, toe pressure and TBI may have good inter- and intra-rater reliability, but margins of error are wide, requiring a large change in the measurement for it to be considered a true change rather than error. There is currently no single bedside test or a combination of bedside tests that has been shown to have superior diagnostic accuracy for PAD in people with diabetes with or without DFU. However, an ABI <0.9 or >1.3, TBI of <0.70, and absent or monophasic pedal Doppler waveforms are useful to identify the presence of disease. The ability of the tests to exclude disease is variable and although reliability may be acceptable, evidence of error in the measurements means test results that are within normal limits should be considered with caution and in the context of other vascular assessment findings (e.g., pedal pulse palpation and clinical signs) and progress of DFU healing., (© 2023 The Authors. Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Complex open abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair often necessitates revascularization of renal arteries by either renal artery reimplantation or bypass. This study aims to evaluate the perioperative and short term outcomes between these 2 strategies of renal artery revascularization., Methods: We performed a retrospective review of patients who underwent open AAA repair from 2004 to 2020 at our own institution. Patients who underwent elective suprarenal, juxtarenal, or type 4 thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair were identified using current procedural terminology (CPT) codes and a retrospectively maintained database of AAA patients. Patients who had symptomatic aneurysm or significant renal artery stenosis before AAA repair were excluded. Patient demographics, intraoperative conditions, renal function, bypass patency, and perioperative and postoperative outcomes at 30 days and 1 year were compared., Results: One hundred and forty-three patients underwent either renal artery reimplantation (n = 86) or bypass (n = 57) during this time period. The mean age was 69.7 years and 76.2% of the patients were male. Median preoperative creatinine was 1.2 mg/dL for the renal bypass group versus 1.06 mg/dL for reimplantation (P = 0.088). Both groups had similar median preoperative glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of >60 mL/min (P = 0.13). Bypass and reimplantation groups had similar perioperative complications including acute kidney injury (51.8% vs. 49.4% P = 0.78), inpatient dialysis (3.6% vs. 1.2% P = 0.56), myocardial infarction (1.8% vs. 2.4% P = 0.99), and death (3.5% vs. 4.7% P = 0.99), respectively. During the 30-day follow-up period, renal artery stenosis was identified in 9.8% of bypasses and 6.7% of reimplantations (P = 0.71). Six point one percent of patients in the bypass group had renal failure requiring dialysis (both acute and permanent) compared to 1.3% in reimplantation group (P = 0.3). For those who had 1-year follow-up, the reimplantation group had higher new incidence of renal artery stenosis compared to bypass group (6 vs. 0 P = 0.16)., Conclusions: Given that there is no significant difference in outcomes between renal artery reimplantation and bypass within 30 days or at 1-year follow-up, both bypass and reimplantation are acceptable means for renal artery revascularization during elective AAA repair., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: Acute type B aortic dissections (TBADs) can become complicated at any time point, necessitating surgical repair. We sought to investigate the effect of interhospital transfer on the development of delayed complications in acute type B aortic dissection (dcTBAD)., Methods: All patients who presented with acute TBAD to a tertiary aortic center from 2015 to 2019 were analyzed. Patients were divided into initially complicated type B aortic dissection (icTBAD) (0-24 hours from symptom onset), dcTBAD (25 hours to 14 days), and uncomplicated type B aortic dissection (ucTBAD) groups. Criteria for complicated dissection were aortic rupture, malperfusion, or rapid aortic growth. Demographics, patient history, the timing of presentation, imaging findings, and clinical outcomes were compared between groups., Results: Of 120 acute TBADs included, 27 (22%) were initially complicated (aortic rupture, n = 9; malperfusion, n = 18). Twenty-one (18%) developed delayed complications (aortic rupture, n = 3; malperfusion, n = 14; rapid growth, n = 4) at a median of 7.0 [4.0, 9.0] days from symptom onset. Seventy-two (60%) remained uncomplicated. Overall, 111 (93%) presented as transfers from outside hospitals (icTBAD, n = 25; dcTBAD, n = 21; ucTBAD, n = 65). Of those, dcTBADs were more likely to have a prolonged delay between presentation to the outside hospital and referral to the tertiary center compared to ucTBADs (median = 1.00 [0.0, 5.0] days delayed vs. 0.00 [0.0, 0.0] days delayed; P < 0.001). Initially uncomplicated patients referred for transfer ≥24 hours from presentation went on to develop dcTBAD more often than those transferred in <24 hours (73% vs 13%; P < 0.001). Of dcTBADs, 38% had no high-risk features on initial imaging. Patients with dcTBAD had significantly longer length of stay (median = 12 vs 7 days; P = 0.006). In-hospital mortality was significantly higher in dcTBADs than ucTBADs (9.5% vs 0%; P = 0.047). In-hospital mortality was not significantly different between dcTBADs and icTBADs (9.5% vs. 11%; P > 0.05)., Conclusions: The incidence and consequence of dcTBADsare not insignificant. Late referral and transfer to a tertiary aortic center (≥24 hours from initial presentation) was associated with dcTBADsrequiring surgical intervention. The development of dcTBADwas associated with increased length of stay and increased in-hospital mortality., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Given the ongoing nature of research in the social determinants space and urges to improve United States Preventive Services Task Force screening efforts for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs), this project aims to characterize the association between the level of socioeconomic deprivation, rurality, and ruptured AAA (rAAA) presentation across the United States., Methods: We queried the Vascular Quality Initiative registry (2010-2019) for patients with AAAs. The area deprivation index (ADI) is an index from 1 to 100 used to capture socioeconomic status. ADI was grouped into quintiles, with the most deprived regions being quintile 5 and having the highest ADI index. Multivariable logistic regression assessed the association between ADI, rurality, and rAAA presentation overall and before age 65., Results: Of the 82,909 patients included, 11,458 patients (14%) resided in the most socioeconomically deprived regions, and 18,083 patients (22%) lived in rural regions. Overall, 6831 patients (8.2%) experienced an rAAA, with 4696 patients (69%) residing in the three most deprived quintiles. Most patients underwent endovascular repair (n = 67,933; 82%), followed by open repair (n = 14,976; 18%). On multivariable analysis, residence in the most socioeconomically deprived region was associated with a near 1.5-fold increased odds of presenting with an rAAA compared with a residence in the least deprived regions (odds ratio [OR], 1.46; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.31-1.63; P < .001), whereas urban residence was associated with a decreased odds to present with an rAAA compared with rural residence (OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.79-0.89; P < .001). When stratifying the study population by the United States Preventive Services Task Force recommended age for AAA screening (65 years old), 14,147 patients (17%) were under 65. Of those under 65, 1381 patients (9.8%) experienced a rAAA, and 9955 patients (71%) resided in the three most deprived quintiles. Residence in the most socioeconomically deprived region was associated with an increased odds of presenting with an rAAA compared with residence in the least deprived region (OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.01-1.69; P = .042). However, there were no significant associations between rural residence and increased rAAA presentation among individuals under 65 (OR, 1.07; 95% CI, 0.93-1.23; P = .36)., Conclusions: Among all patients in this study, patients residing in highly socioeconomically deprived or rural regions were more likely to present with an rAAA, but among those under 65, only residence in a socioeconomically deprived area was associated with increased odds of rAAA presentation. Understanding the effects of socioeconomic deprivation on rAAA presentation can identify at-risk populations for early AAA screening before rupture., Competing Interests: Disclosures None., (Copyright © 2023 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Lower-limb amputation rates in patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia vary across the United States, with marked disparities in amputation rates by gender, race, and income status. We evaluated the association of patient, hospital, and geographic characteristics with the intensity of vascular care received the year before a major lower-limb amputation and how intensity of care associates with outcomes after amputation., Methods: Using Medicare claims data (2016-2019), beneficiaries diagnosed with chronic limb-threatening ischemia who underwent a major lower-limb amputation were identified. We examined patient, hospital, and geographic characteristics associated with the intensity of vascular care received the year before amputation. Secondary objectives evaluated all-cause mortality and adverse events following amputation., Results: Of 33 036 total Medicare beneficiaries undergoing major amputation, 7885 (23.9%) were due to chronic limb-threatening ischemia; of these, 4988 (63.3%) received low-intensity and 2897 (36.7%) received high-intensity vascular care. Mean age, 76.6 years; women, 38.9%; Black adults, 24.5%; and of low income, 35.2%. After multivariable adjustment, those of low income (odds ratio, 0.65 [95% CI, 0.58-0.72]; P <0.001), and to a lesser extent, men (odds ratio, 0.89 [95% CI, 0.81-0.98]; P =0.019), and those who received care at a safety-net hospital (odds ratio, 0.87 [95% CI, 0.78-0.97]; P =0.012) were most likely to receive low intensity of care before amputation. High-intensity care was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality 2 years following amputation (hazard ratio, 0.79 [95% CI, 0.74-0.85]; P <0.001)., Conclusions: Patients who were of low-income status, and to a lesser extent, men, or those cared for at safety-net hospitals were most likely to receive low-intensity vascular care. Low-intensity care was associated with worse long-term event-free survival. These data emphasize the continued disparities that exist in contemporary vascular practice., Competing Interests: Disclosures Dr Quiroga receives personal fees from Boston Scientific and W.L. Gore. Dr Wadhera receives research support from the National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute (NHLBI)/National Institutes of Health (NIH) K23HL148525 and also receives personal fees from CVS Health and Abbott. Dr Secemsky receives research support from NIH/NHLBI K23HL150290, Food and Drug Administration, Harvard Medical School Shore Faculty Development Award, Becton, Dickinson and Company, Boston Scientific, Cook, Cardiovascular Systems, Inc, Laminate Medical, Medtronic, and Philips and receives personal fees from Abbott, Bayer, Becton, Dickinson and Company, Boston Scientific, Cook, Cordis-X, Cardiovascular Systems, Inc, Janssen, Medtronic, Philips, and VentureMed. Dr West, C.M. King, and J.T. Hasegawa are employees of Abbott Vascular. Dr Martinson is a consultant to Abbott Vascular. The other author reports no conflicts.

Objective: Women and underrepresented minorities (URMs) who are at an increased risk of presenting with severe peripheral artery disease (PAD) and have different responses to treatment compared with non-Hispanic White males yet are underrepresented in PAD research., Methods: ELEGANCE is a global, prospective, multi-center, post-market registry of PAD patients treated with drug-eluting device that aims to enroll at least 40% women and 40% URMs. The study design incorporates strategies to increase enrollment of women and URMs. Inclusion criteria are age ≥18 years and treatment with any commercially available Boston Scientific Corporation drug-eluting device marketed for peripheral vasculature lesions; exclusion criterion is life expectancy <1 year., Results: Of 750 patients currently enrolled (951 lesions) across 39 sites, 324 (43.2%) are female and 350 (47.3%) are URMs (21.6% Black, 11.2% Asian, 8.5% Hispanic/Latino, and 5.3% other). Rutherford classification is distributed differently between sexes (P = .019). Treatment indication differs among race/ethnicity groups (P = .003). Chronic limb-threatening ischemia was higher for Black (38.3%) and Hispanic/Latino (28.1%) patients compared with non-Hispanic White (21.8%) and Asian patients (21.4%). De-novo stenosis was higher in Asian patients (92.3%) compared with Black, non-Hispanic White, and Hispanic/Latino patients (72.2%, 68.7%, and 77.8%, respectively; P < .001). Mean lesion length was longest for Black patients (162.7 mm), then non-Hispanic White (135.2 mm), Asian (134.8 mm), and Hispanic/Latino patients (128.1 mm; P = .008)., Conclusions: Analyses of data from the ELEGANCE registry show that differences exist in baseline disease characteristics by sex and race/ethnicity; these may be the result of other underlying factors, including time to diagnosis, burden of undermanaged comorbidities, and access to care., Competing Interests: Disclosures E.A.S. reports research grants (to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center) from the National Institutes of Health/ National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute K23HL150290, United States Food a d Drug Administration, BD, Boston Scientific, Cook, CSI, Laminate Medical, Medtronic, and Philips; and consulting/speaking for Abbott, Bayer, BD, Boston Scientific, Cook, Cordis, CSI, Inari, Medtronic, Philips, Shockwave, and VentureMed. J.G. reports research funds to the institution and advisory boards for Boston Scientific, Inari Medical, Abiomed, Recor Medical, and Abbott Vascular; and equity in Endovascular Engineering. M.B. reports consulting for Medtronic, BD Bard, Phillips, Boston Scientific, Cagent Vascular, Soundbite Medical, Shockwave, Resolv Medical, R3 Vascular, Bolt Medical, Bayer Healthcare, Cook Medical, and Biotronik. Y.G. received research funding from Abbott, Boston Scientific, General Electric, Veryan, and WL Gore; and personal fees and grants from Abbott, Bard, Biotronik, Boston Scientific, Cook, General Electric, Medtronic, Penumbra, Terumo, Veryan, WL Gore. F.W. serves as a member of the ELEGANCE Registry Steering Committee (Boston Scientific Corporation). A.J.G.-W. reports employee of Boston Scientific Corporation. M.R.J. reports employee of Boston Scientific Corporation. L.K. reports consultant to Boston Scientific, Gore Medical, Cook Medical, and 3M. M.P.K. reports VIVA board member; SIR Foundation board member; and Global PI for the ELEGANCE Registry (Boston Scientific Corporation)., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The spectrum of venous thromboembolic (VTE) disease encompasses both acute deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and chronic postthrombotic changes (CPC). A large percentage of acute DVT patients experience recurrent VTE despite adequate anticoagulation, and may progress to CPC. Further, the role of iliocaval venous obstruction (ICVO) in lower-extremity VTE has been increasingly recognized in recent years. Imaging continues to play an important role in both acute and chronic venous disease. Venous duplex ultrasound remains the gold standard for diagnosing acute VTE. However, imaging of CPC is more complex and may involve computed tomography, magnetic resonance, contrast-enhanced ultrasound, or intravascular ultrasound. In this narrative review, we aim to discuss the full spectrum of venous disease imaging for both acute and chronic venous thrombotic disease., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Introduction: Aortic graft infection (AGI) is a rare complication following endovascular aneurysm repair and is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. The traditional management of AGI is intravenous antibiotic therapy and surgical explantation. In this case series, percutaneous drainage was used as a bridge therapy in the treatment of AGI., Methods: We report two cases, 78-year-old male and 57-year-old female, in whom image-guided percutaneous drainage was used to treat AGI in two contrasting contexts. Informed consent was obtained from both cases/relatives for publication., Results: Both cases underwent successful percutaneous drainage of AGI utilized as a bridge therapy before definitive surgical reconstruction and graft explantation. Each patient had a different outcome. In the first case, the patient's comorbidities and severe disease state could not be overcome, resulting in his death. The second patient benefitted from the percutaneous drainage by allowing her more time ameliorate her malnutrition before definitive surgery., Conclusion: Data on the outcomes of percutaneous drainage of AGI is limited. The successful procedure described in this case series emphasizes the need to conduct more research to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this treatment approach before the surgical explantation., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Background: Endovascular intervention (EI) is the most commonly used modality for chronic mesenteric ischemia (CMI). Since the inception of this technique, numerous publications have reported the associated clinical outcomes. However, no publication has reported the comparative outcomes over a period of time in which both the stent platform and adjunctive medical therapy have evolved. This study aims to assess the impact of the concomitant evolution of both the endovascular approach and optimal guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) on CMI outcomes over three consecutive time eras., Methods: A retrospective review at a quaternary center from January 2003 to August 2020 was performed to identify patients who underwent EIs for CMI. The patients were divided into three groups based on the date of intervention: early (2003-2009), mid (2010-2014), and late (2015-2020). At least one angioplasty/stent was performed for the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) and/or celiac artery. The patients' short- and mid-term outcomes were compared between the groups. Univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were also conducted to evaluate the clinical predictors for primary patency loss in SMA only subgroup., Results: A total of 278 patients were included (early, 74; mid, 95; late, 109). The overall mean age was 71 years, and 70% were females. High technical success (early, 98.6%; mid, 100%; late, 100%; P = .27) and immediate resolution of symptoms (early, 86.3%; mid, 93.7%; late, 90.8%; P = .27) were noted over the three eras. In both the celiac artery and SMA cohorts, the use of bare metal stents (BMS) declined over time (early, 99.0%; mid, 90.3%; late, 65.5%; P < .001) with a proportionate increase in covered stents (CS) (early, 0.99%; mid, 9.7%; late, 28.9%; P < .001). The use of postoperative antiplatelet and statins has increased over time (early, 89.2%; mid, 97.9%; late, 99.1%; P = .003) and (early, 47%; mid, 68%; late, 81%; P = .001), respectively. In the SMA stent-only cohort, no significant differences were noted in primary patency rates between BMS and CS (hazard ratio, 0.95; 95% confidence interval, 0.26-2.87; P = .94). High-intensity preoperative statins were associated with fewer primary patency loss events compared to none/low- or moderate-intensity statins (hazard ratio, 0.30; 95% confidence interval, 0.11-0.72; P = .014)., Conclusions: Consistent outcomes were observed for CMI EIs across three consecutive eras. In the SMA stent-only cohort, no statistically significant difference in early primary patency was noted for CS and BMS, making the use of CS at additional cost controversial and possibly not cost effective. Notably, the preoperative high-intensity statins were associated with improved SMA primary patency. These findings demonstrate the importance of guideline-directed medical therapy as an essential adjunct to EI in the treatment of CMI., (Copyright © 2023 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Cardiovascular complications are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the postoperative period after major vascular surgery. Depending on the study population, up to 25% of patients have troponin elevation after noncardiac surgery, yet many do not meet the diagnosis of myocardial infarction (MI). Although outcomes of routine troponin elevation in patients undergoing mixed major vascular surgery have been evaluated, this has not been studied exclusively in elective, open abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (oAAA), especially regarding perioperative and overall mortality., Methods: We conducted a single-center, retrospective review of routine troponin surveillance for consecutive, oAAA from 2014 to 2019. A total of 319 patients were identified and analyzed for management patterns and interventions. The cohort was stratified into groups for comparison based on those in whom troponin was routinely checked (RC) as part of a care strategy during the study period, not routinely checked (NRC), elevated troponin (ET) >0.001 ng/mL, and not elevated. The median follow-up was 21.5 ± 23.8 months. Groups were compared on demographic data, cardiac comorbidities, 30-day and 3-year outcomes for MI and death using two-sample t-tests, Wilcoxon rank sum tests, Pearson chi-square tests, and Fisher exact tests when appropriate., Results: Troponin was measured in 83.7% (267/319) of patients who underwent elective oAAA repair. Routine troponin checks were obtained in 79.9% (255/319) of patients. ET was identified in 16.5% of those with RC (42/255) and 4.7% of those with NRC (3/64). Of patients with ET, 37.8% (17/45) had a cardiology consultation, 4.4% (2/45) had a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and 4.4% (2/45) had another cardiac intervention. All 4 patients undergoing PCI or other cardiac intervention had received routine troponin checks. Patients with ET were older (71.2 vs. 68.6; P = 0.04), more likely to receive intraoperative blood products (P = 0.003), had longer operative times (P = 0.011), higher length of stay (9 vs. 7 days; P < 0.01), and higher 30-day MI rate (3 vs. 0; P = 0.04). They had neither longer aortic clamp times nor worse preoperative cardiac function, and the proximal clamp position during oAAA repair did not impact troponin detection. Additionally, 3-year overall mortality was increased in patients who had ET but there was not a significant difference in 3-year mortality between groups receiving routine troponin checks versus not., Conclusions: ET, identified after elective oAAA repair, was associated with a higher risk of 30-day MI and lower overall survival. However, it was not demonstrated that routine assessment of troponin levels postoperatively leads to decreased 3-year mortality in this setting., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Diabetes related foot complications have become a major cause of morbidity and are implicated in most major and minor amputations globally. Approximately 50% of people with diabetes and a foot ulcer have peripheral artery disease (PAD) and the presence of PAD significantly increases the risk of adverse limb and cardiovascular events. The International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF) has published evidence based guidelines on the management and prevention of diabetes related foot complications since 1999. This guideline is an update of the 2019 IWGDF guideline on the diagnosis, prognosis, and management of peripheral artery disease in people with diabetes mellitus and a foot ulcer. For this updated guideline, the IWGDF, the European Society for Vascular Surgery, and the Society for Vascular Surgery decided to collaborate to develop a consistent suite of recommendations relevant to clinicians in all countries. This guideline is based on three new systematic reviews. Using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation framework clinically relevant questions were formulated, and the literature was systematically reviewed. After assessing the certainty of the evidence, recommendations were formulated which were weighed against the balance of benefits and harms, patient values, feasibility, acceptability, equity, resources required, and when available, costs. Through this process five recommendations were developed for diagnosing PAD in a person with diabetes, with and without a foot ulcer or gangrene. Five recommendations were developed for prognosis relating to estimating likelihood of healing and amputation outcomes in a person with diabetes and a foot ulcer or gangrene. Fifteen recommendations were developed related to PAD treatment encompassing prioritisation of people for revascularisation, the choice of a procedure and post-surgical care. In addition, the Writing Committee has highlighted key research questions where current evidence is lacking. The Writing Committee believes that following these recommendations will help healthcare professionals to provide better care and will reduce the burden of diabetes related foot complications., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®) STEP 1 score reporting has been changed to a binary pass/fail format since January 26, 2022. The motives behind this change were (1) the questionable validity of using USMLE STEP 1 as a screening tool during the candidate selection process and (2) the negative impact of using standardized examination scores as an initial gatekeeping threshold for the underrepresented in medicine (URiM) candidates applying to graduate medical education programs, given their generally lower mean standardized exams scores compared to non-URiM students. The USMLE administrators justified this change as a tactic to enhance the overall educational experience for all students and to increase the representation of URiM groups. Moreover, they advised the program directors (PDs) to give more attention to other important qualities and components such as the applicant's personality traits, leadership roles and other extracurricular accomplishments, as part of a holistic evaluation strategy. At this early stage, it is unclear how this change will impact Vascular Surgery Integrated residency (VSIR) programs. Several questions are outstanding, most importantly, how VSIR PDs will evaluate applicants absent the variable which heretofore was the primary screening tool. Our previously published survey showed that VSIR PDs will move their attention to other measures such as USMLE STEP 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) and letters of recommendation during the VSIR selection process. Furthermore, more emphasis on subjective measures such as the applicant's medical school rank and extracurricular student activities is expected. Given the expected higher weight of USMLE STEP 2CK in the selection process than ever, many anticipate that medical students will dedicate more of their limited time to its preparation at the expense of both clinical and nonclinical activities. Potentially leaving less time to explore specialty pathways and to determine whether Vascular Surgeons  is the appropriate career for them. The critical juncture in the VSIR candidate evaluation paradigm presents an opportunity to thoughtfully transform the process via current (Standardized Letter of Recommendation, USMLE STEP 2CK, and clinical research) and future (Emotional Intelligence, Structure Interview and Personality Assessment) measures which constitute a framework to follow in the USMLE STEP 1 pass/fail era., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: This study aims to identify the clinical variables which are predictive for the benefit of concomitant distal revascularization (DR) to prevent Chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) progression and the need for major limb amputation., Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of patients who presented with lower limb ischemia and required at least femoral endarterectomy (FEA), recruited over a period of 15 years (2002-2016). The patient cohort was divided into three groups based on the type of intervention: A (FEA alone), B (FEA + catheter-based intervention/(CBI)), and C (FEA + surgical bypass (SB)). The primary endpoint was to identify independent predictors for the use of concomitant DR (CBI or SB). Secondary endpoints were amputation rate, length of stay, mortality rate, postoperative ankle-brachial index and complications, readmission rate, re-intervention rate, resolution of symptoms and wound status., Results: A total of 400 patients were included, 68.0% were males. Most presenting limbs were at Rutherford class (RC) III and WIfI stage 2, with an ankle-brachial index (ABI) of .47 ± .21 and a TASC II class C lesion. No significant differences were found in the primary-assisted and secondary patency rates between the three groups ( P > .05, in all). In the multivariate analyses, clinical variables associated with DR were hyperlipidemia (hazard ratio (HR) 2.1-2.2), TASC II D (HR 2.62), Rutherford class 4 (HR 2.3) and 5 (HR 3.7), as well as WIfI stage ≥3 (HR 1.48)., Conclusions: Femoral endarterectomy is sufficient to treat intermittent claudication. However, patients in whom rest pain, tissue loss or TASC II D anatomic lesion severity are present may benefit from concomitant distal revascularization. Taking into consideration the overall assessment of operative risk factors for each individual patient, proceduralists should have a lower threshold for performing early or concomitant distal revascularization to reduce CLTI progression including additional tissue loss and/or major limb amputation.

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) affects 200 million individuals worldwide. In the United States, certain demographic groups experience a disproportionately higher prevalence and clinical effect of PAD. The social and clinical effect of PAD includes higher rates of individual disability, depression, minor and major limb amputation along with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. The reasons behind the inequitable burden of PAD and inequitable delivery of care are both multifactorial and complex in nature, including systemic and structural inequity that exists within our society. Herein, we present an overview statement of the myriad variables that contribute to PAD disparities and conclude with a summary of potential novel solutions.

Background: Strategies for embolization of type 2 endoleaks include translumbar, transgraft, transarterial, and transcaval approaches. The transcaval approach is limited by an inconsistent ability to access the aortic sac and the risk of puncturing and damaging the endograft or adjacent structures. We describe a novel technique for caval to aortic aneurysm sac access and report early outcomes., Methods: A retrospective review of all patients who underwent transcaval embolization (TCE) at a tertiary referral center. From March 2019 to June 2021, 12 patients were identified to have undergone a novel approach to transcaval aortic sac access using a 0.014″ heavy weight tip wire guide and continuous current electrocautery to create the connection between the inferior vena cava and aortic aneurysm sac. The endoleak outflow vessel is then selectively embolized with coils or liquid embolic agents. When selective embolization was not possible, the aneurysm sac was instilled with liquid embolic agents to induce thrombosis., Results: Twelve patients underwent transcaval embolization using this method over the 3-year period. The average patient age was 79.2 ± 6.2 years and 10/12 (83.3%) were male. A high rate of comorbidities was noted in the cohort. Transcaval access into the aortic sac was achieved in all patients, while selective cannulation of outflow vessels was accomplished in 2/12 (16%) target vessels. Of these, both cases had vessels embolized using detachable coils and liquid embolic agents. Nonselective embolization was performed using liquid embolic and thrombotic agents in the other 10/12 cases. There was one perioperative complication of minor bleeding (1/12, 8.3%). Two patients were observed in intensive care unit for back pain. A persistent endoleak was identified on postoperative imaging performed at 30 days in 4/12 (33.3%) patients. Sac enlargement > 5 mm following TCE was observed in 3/12 (25%) patients. Three patients underwent open conversion with endovascular aneurysm repair explant. One patient was explanted at 1 month after failure to embolize the endoleak flow channel using TCE. A second was explanted for persistent endoleak found to be a Type IIIb with aortic diameter growth > 5 mm at 15-month follow-up. The third explant was performed for aortic sac infection at 4 months postprocedure without endoleak., Conclusions: TCE is an adjunctive technique to treat endoleaks in patients who have either failed transarterial or translumbar access. An electrified 0.014″ chronic total occlusion wire technique for transcaval access to the aortic sac for endoleak embolization can be successful in all cases without significant acute morbidity or mortality. The transcaval approach is still limited by ability to steer catheters and microcatheters into the outflow vessels with a resultant persistent endoleak and eventual need for explant., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: We assess the rates of device use and outcomes by race among patients undergoing lower extremity peripheral arterial intervention using the American College of Cardiology National Cardiovascular Data Registry-Peripheral Vascular Intervention (PVI) registry., Methods: Patients who underwent PVI between April 2014 and March 2019 were included. Socioeconomic status was evaluated using the Distressed Community Index score for patients' zip codes. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with utilization of drug-eluting technologies, intravascular imaging, and atherectomy. Among patients with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data, we compared 1-year mortality, rates of amputation, and repeat revascularizations., Results: Of 63 150 study cases, 55 719 (88.2%) were performed in White patients and 7431 (11.8%) in Black patients. Black patients were younger (67.9 versus 70.0 years), had higher rates of hypertension (94.4% versus 89.5%), diabetes (63.0% versus 46.2%), less likely to be able to walk 200 m (29.1% versus 24.8%), and higher Distressed Community Index scores (65.1 versus 50.6). Black patients were provided drug-eluting technologies at a higher rate (adjusted odds ratio, 1.14 [95% CI, 1.06-1.23]) with no difference in atherectomy (adjusted odds ratio, 0.98 [95% CI, 0.91-1.05]) or intravascular imaging (adjusted odds ratio, 1.03 [95% CI, 0.88-1.22]) use. Black patients experienced a lower rate of acute kidney injury (adjusted odds ratio, 0.79 [95% CI, 0.72-0.88]). In Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services-linked analyses of 7429 cases (11.8%), Black patients were significantly less likely to have surgical (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.40 [95% CI, 0.17-0.96]) or repeat PVI revascularization (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.42 [95% CI, 0.30-0.59]) at 1 year compared with White patients. There was no difference in mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [0.8-1.4]) or major amputation (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.5 [95% CI, 0.8-7.6]) between Black and White patients., Conclusions: Black patients presenting for PVI were younger, had higher prevalence of comorbidities and lower socioeconomic status. After adjustment, Black patients were less likely to have surgical or repeat PVI revascularization after the index PVI procedure., Competing Interests: Disclosures Dr Julien discloses equity in Johnson and Johnson and Shockwave Medical stock. Dr Curtis has an institutional contract with the American College of Cardiology for his role as Senior Scientific Advisor of the National Cardiovascular Data Registry; has received salary support from the American College of Cardiology and Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services; and has equity in Medtronic. Dr Fanaroff has reports a career development award from the American Heart Association, research funding to his institution from Boston Scientific, and consulting fees from the American Heart Association. Dr Khatana has received grant support from under National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (5K23 HL153772-02) and the American Heart Association (20CDA35320251). Dr Secemsky has Research grants to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center: NIH/National Heart Lung and Blood Institute K23HL150290, Harvard Medical School’s Shore Faculty Development Award, AstraZeneca, Becton Dickinson, Boston Scientific, Cook, CSI, Laminate Medical, Medtronic and Philips. Consulting/Speaking: Abbott, Asahi, Bayer, BD, Boston Scientific, Cook, Cardiovascular Systems Incorporated, Inari, Janssen, Medtronic, Philips, and VentureMed. Dr Vora has received education and research funding from Medtronic. Dr Armstrong has consulted for Abbott Vascular, Boston Scientific, Cardiovascular Systems, Medtronic, and Spectranetics. Dr Jaff is employed on a part time basis by Boston Scientific and shareholder of Boston Scientific Corporation. Dr Giri has served on advisory boards for Astra Zeneca, Philips Medical, Boston Scientific and Inari Medical, and received research funds to the institution from St. Jude Medical, Boston Scientific, Inari Medical, and Recor Medical. The other authors report no conflicts.

Objectives: The precise number of actively practicing vascular surgeons who self-identify as Black American and the historical race composition trends within the overall profession of vascular surgery are unknown. Limited demographic data have been collected and maintained at the societal or national board level. Vascular surgery societal reports suggest that less than 2% of vascular surgeons identify as Black American. Black Americans comprise 13.4% of the U.S. population yet for disorders such as peripheral artery disease and end-stage renal disease, Black communities are disproportionately impacted, and the prevalence of disease is greater on an age-adjusted basis. A significant body of research shows that clinical outcomes such as medication adherence, shared decision-making, and research trial participation are positively impacted by racial concordance especially for communities in whom distrust is high as a consequence of historic experiences. This survey aims to characterize practice and career variables within a network of Black American vascular surgeons., Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted via a questionnaire sent to all participants of the Society of Black Vascular Surgeons that began to convene monthly during the COVID-19 pandemic and experienced subsequent organic growth. The survey included 20 questions with variables quantified including the surgeon's demographics, clinical experience, practice setting, patient demographics, and professional society engagement., Results: Fifty-nine percent of the Society of Black Vascular Surgeons members completed the survey. Males comprised 81% of the responding vascular surgeons. The majority (62%) of respondents were involved in academic practice. Less than 25% of the total medical staff were Black American in 77% of the respondents' current work practice. The patient racial composition within their respective practice settings was as follows: White (47%), Black (34%), Hispanic (13%), Asian (3%), Middle Eastern or North African (2%), and American Indian and Alaskan Natives (0.4%). Forty-three percent of respondents had a current active membership in the Society for Vascular Surgery, and 24% had a regional society membership. Fifty-eight percent of respondents reported that they experienced a workplace event that they felt was racially or ethically driven in the 12 months before the survey., Conclusions: This survey describes an under-represented in medicine vascular surgeon subgroup that has not heretofore been characterized. Racial and ethnic demographic data are essential to better understand the current demographic makeup of our specialty and to develop benchmark goals of race composition that mirrors our society at large. The patients of this group of Black American vascular surgeons were more likely to represent a racial minority. Efforts to increase race diversity in vascular surgery have the potential benefit of enhancing care of patients with vascular disease., (Copyright © 2023 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The Society for Vascular Surgery published abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) practice guidelines in 2003, 2009, and 2018 to improve the management and treatment of AAAs. In 2014, our vascular surgery department implemented a quarterly AAA dashboard (AAAdb) to record the perioperative outcomes and guideline compliance with a focus on intervention appropriateness and procedural follow-up, which supplemented our Vascular Quality Initiative data. From the available reported evidence and expert consensus opinions, nine additional criteria for the appropriate treatment of AAAs <5 cm in women and <5.5 cm in men were noted, when applicable. The purpose of our study was to assess the effects of AAAdb implementation on adherence to society and institutional guidelines, documentation of treatment rationale, and the quality of follow-up., Methods: We performed a retrospective review of elective open and endovascular AAA repair at a single institution from 2010 to 2018. The AAAdb was implemented in the middle of this period in 2014. The patient demographics, aortic size, repair indication, repair type, 30-day mortality, and postoperative and 1-year follow-up imaging findings were analyzed. The primary outcome was adherence to intervention appropriateness and the follow-up guidelines. The categorical factors were summarized using frequencies and percentages and compared using the Pearson χ 2 test or Fisher exact test. Continuous measures were summarized using the mean ± standard deviation and compared between study periods using two-sample t tests., Results: From 2010 to 2018, 1549 patients had undergone elective AAA repair: 657 before and 892 after AAAdb implementation. No differences were found in AAA size after AAAdb (5.6 ± 1.2 cm vs 5.6 ± 1.1 cm; P = .88). However, the proportion of size-appropriate repairs increased (64.1% vs 71.3%; P = .003). The proportion of small AAA repairs with a documented rationale had increased (64.4% vs 80.5%; P < .001), with rapid disease progression cited most often. No difference was found in 30-day mortality (1.2% vs 1.5%; P = .69). Follow-up imaging after endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair increased at <60 days postoperatively (76% vs 84%; P = .004) and at 1 year of follow-up (78% vs 86%; P = .0005). The proportion of patients with endoleak at <60 days postoperatively had increased in the post-AAAdb cohort (21% vs 29%; P = .012)., Conclusions: The AAAdb served as a centerpiece for improving the appropriateness of care and compliance with national and institutional guidelines, including treatment of small AAAs in special circumstances. Its implementation was associated with higher quality follow-up and surveillance in a high-volume, regional aortic center. Consideration should be given to adding additional criteria to the Society for Vascular Surgery guidelines and Vascular Quality Initiative reporting., (Copyright © 2022 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Symptomatic central venous disease (CVD) is a significant common problem in patients with end-stage renal disease given its adverse impact on hemodialysis (HD) vascular access (VA). The current mainstay management is percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) with or without stenting which is typically reserved for unsatisfactory angioplasty or more challenging lesions. Despite factors such as target vein diameters and lengths and vessel tortuosity that may determine the choice of bare-metal versus covered stents (CS), current scientific literature is pointing out the superiority of the latter one. Alternative management options such as hemodialysis reliable outflow (HeRO) graft showed favorable results in terms of high patency rates and fewer infections, however, complications such as a steal syndrome and, to a lesser extent, graft migration and separation are major concerns. The surgical reconstruction approaches such as bypass, patch venoplasty, or chest wall arteriovenous graft with or without endovascular interventions as a hybrid procedure are still viable options and may be considered. However, further long-term investigations are needed to highlight the comparative outcomes of these approaches. Open surgery might be an alternative before proceeding to more unfavorable approaches such as lower extremity vascular access (LEVA). The appropriate therapy should be selected based upon a patient-centered interdisciplinary discussion utilizing the locally available expertise in the area of VA creation and maintenance., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://cdt.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/cdt-22-570/coif). The series “Endovascular and Surgical Interventions in the End Stage Renal Disease Population” was commissioned by the editorial office without any funding or sponsorship. LK served as the unpaid Guest Editor of the series. The authors have no other conflicts of interest to declare., (2023 Cardiovascular Diagnosis and Therapy. All rights reserved.)

The rise in prevalence of end stage renal disease (ESRD) and the impact on health care resulted in increasing focus on delivery of vascular access. Hemodialysis vascular access is the most common renal replacement therapy method. The vascular access types include arteriovenous fistula, arteriovenous graft, and tunneled central venous catheters. Vascular access function remains an important outcome measure with significant impact on morbidity and health care cost. The survival and quality of life of patients on hemodialysis is dependent on the adequacy of dialysis through proper vascular access. Early detection of failure to mature vascular access, stenosis, thrombosis, and aneurysm or pseudoaneurysm formation remains crucial. Ultrasound can help identify complications, even though ultrasound evaluation of the arteriovenous access is less well defined. Some published vascular access guidelines support ultrasound for detecting stenosis. The evolution of ultrasound has improved throughout the years, both multi parametric top-line systems and hand-held systems. Ultrasound evaluation is inexpensive, rapid, noninvasive, and repeatable, it is a powerful tool used for early diagnosis. The ultrasound image quality still depends on the skill of the operator. Careful attention to technical details is needed and avoidance of several diagnostic pitfalls is necessary. This review is focused on the role of ultrasound for hemodialysis access surveillance, evaluation of maturation, detection of access complications, and aid with cannulation., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://cdt.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/cdt-22-129/coif). The series “Endovascular and Surgical Interventions in the End Stage Renal Disease Population” was commissioned by the editorial office without any funding or sponsorship. LK served as the unpaid Guest Editor of the series. LK is a consultant to COOK Medical, Gore Medical and 3M Boston Scientific and received payment from Gore Medical and 3M Boston Scientific. DP attends the ACP (America College of Physicians) assisting with POCUS (point of care ultrasound) sessions. ACP covers expenses and small honorarium. AS attended ACP Annual Meeting April 2022. The authors have no other conflicts of interest to declare., (2023 Cardiovascular Diagnosis and Therapy. All rights reserved.)

With the increasing life expectancy of patients with end-stage kidney disease, the creation and maintenance of hemodialysis vascular access are becoming more challenging. A comprehensive patient evaluation including a complete history, physical examination, and ultrasonographic vessel assessment is the foundation of the clinical evaluation. A patient-centered approach acknowledges the myriad of factors that impact the selection of optimal access for the distinct clinical and social circumstance of each patient. An interdisciplinary team approach involving various healthcare providers in all stages of hemodialysis access creation is important and associated with better outcomes. While patency is considered the most important parameter in most vascular reconstructive scenarios, the ultimate determinant of success in vascular access for hemodialysis is a circuit that allows consistent and uninterrupted delivery of the prescribed hemodialysis. The best conduit is one that is superficial, easily identified, straight, and of a large caliber. Individual patient factors and skill level of the cannulating technician also play a crucial role in the initial success and maintenance of vascular access. Special attention should be considered in dealing with more challenging groups such as the elderly population where the newest vascular access guidance from The National Kidney Foundation's Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative will be transformative. The current guidelines recommend monitoring the vascular access by regular physical and clinical assessments, however, inadequate evidence is available to support routine ultrasonographic surveillance for improving access patency., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://cdt.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/cdt-22-560/coif). The series “Endovascular and Surgical Interventions in the End Stage Renal Disease Population” was commissioned by the editorial office without any funding or sponsorship. LK served as the unpaid Guest Editor of the special series. The authors have no other conflicts of interest to declare., (2023 Cardiovascular Diagnosis and Therapy. All rights reserved.)

Lower limb vascular access (LLVA) should be considered for patients in whom upper extremity access has been exhausted. The decisional process around vascular access (VA) site selection should incorporate a patient centered approach that aligns with End Stage Kidney Disease life-plan as recently described in proffered in 2019 Vascular Access Guidelines. The current surgical approaches to LLVA can be divided into two main groups: (A) autologous arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs); (B) synthetic arteriovenous grafts (AVGs). The autologous AVFs include both the femoral vein (FV) and great saphenous vein (GSV) transpositions, while prosthetic AVGs in the thigh position are appropriate for certain patient subtypes. Good durability has been described for autogenous FV transposition as well as AVGs with both demonstrating acceptable primary and secondary patency rates. Major complications such as steal syndrome, limb edema, and bleeding and minor complications such as wound-related infection, hematoma and delayed wound healing have been noted. LLVA is commonly reserved for the patient in whom the only alternative VA may be a tunneled catheter with its attendant morbidity. In this clinical circumstance, successful LLVA has the opportunity to be a life-saving surgical therapy when successfully performed. We describe a thoughtful approach that focuses on patient selection to optimize success and mitigate complications associated with LLVA., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (https://cdt.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/cdt-22-549/coif). The series “Endovascular and Surgical Interventions in the End Stage Renal Disease Population” was commissioned by the editorial office without any funding or sponsorship. LK served as the unpaid Guest Editor of the special series. The authors have no other conflicts of interest to declare., (2023 Cardiovascular Diagnosis and Therapy. All rights reserved.)

Background: Treatment of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) with hemodialysis requires surgical creation of an arteriovenous (AV) vascular access-fistula (AVF) or graft (AVG)-to avoid (or limit) the use of a central venous catheter (CVC). AVFs have long been considered the first-line vascular access option, with AVGs as second best. Recent studies have suggested that, in older adults, AVGs may be a better strategy than AVFs. Lacking evidence from well-powered randomized clinical trials, integration of these results into clinical decision making is challenging. The main objective of the AV Access Study is to compare, between the two types of AV access, clinical outcomes that are important to patients, physicians, and policy makers., Methods: This is a prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial in adults ≥ 60 years old receiving chronic hemodialysis via a CVC. Eligible participants must have co-existing cardiovascular disease, peripheral arterial disease, and/or diabetes mellitus; and vascular anatomy suitable for placement of either type of AV access. Participants are randomized, in a 1:1 ratio, to a strategy of AVG or AVF creation. An estimated 262 participants will be recruited across 7 healthcare systems, with average follow-up of 2 years. Questionnaires will be administered at baseline and semi-annually. The primary outcome is the rate of CVC-free days per 100 patient-days. The primary safety outcome is the cumulative incidence of vascular access (CVC or AV access)-related severe infections-defined as access infections that lead to hospitalization or death. Secondary outcomes include access-related healthcare costs and patients' experiences with vascular access care between the two treatment groups., Discussion: In the absence of studies using robust and unbiased research methodology to address vascular access care for hemodialysis patients, clinical decisions are limited to inferences from observational studies. The goal of the AV Access Study is to generate evidence to optimize vascular access care, based on objective, age-specific criteria, while incorporating goals of care and patient preference for vascular access type in clinical decision-making., Trial Registration: This study is being conducted in accordance with the tenets of the Helsinki Declaration, and has been approved by the central institutional review board (IRB) of Wake Forest University Health Sciences (approval number: 00069593) and local IRB of each participating clinical center; and was registered on Nov 27, 2020, at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04646226)., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objective: This study reports the results of a prospective, multicenter trial designed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the polymer based Endologix Alto Stent Graft System in treating abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs), with sealing 7 mm below the top of the fabric in aortic neck diameters from 16 to 30 mm., Methods: Seventy-five patients were treated with Alto devices between March 2017 and February 2018 in 16 centers in the United States for infrarenal AAAs (max diameter ≥5.0 cm in diameter or size increase by 0.5 cm in 6 months or diameter ≥1.5 times the adjacent normal aorta). Patients were followed for 30 days, 6 months, and 1 year by clinical evaluation and computed tomography and abdominal x-ray imaging. Treatment success was defined as technical success and freedom from AAA enlargement, migration, type I or III endoleak, AAA rupture or surgical conversion, stent graft stenosis, occlusion, kink, thromboembolic events, and stent fracture attributable to the device requiring secondary intervention through 12 months. Preoperative characteristics, perioperative variables, follow-up clinical evaluations, and radiographic examination results through the first 1 year were analyzed., Results: The mean patient age was 73 years, with 93% of patients being male. The 30-day major adverse event rate was 5.3%. At 1 year, the primary endpoint was met with a treatment success rate of 96.7%. Through 1-year post-treatment, all-cause mortality was 4.0%. No AAA-related mortality occurred. AAA enlargement was 1.6%, type I endoleak rate was 1.4%, with 100% freedom from type III endoleaks, device migration, device fracture, stent occlusion, or AAA rupture. The device-related secondary intervention rate was 2.7%., Conclusions: This prospective study demonstrates the Endologix Alto is safe and effective in treating AAAs with appropriate anatomy at 1 year. The safety endpoint is met by a 5.3% 30-day major adverse event rate, whereas the effectiveness endpoint is met by a treatment success rate of 96%., (Copyright © 2022 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Vascular surgery integrated residency (VSIR) programs are highly competitive; however, criteria for resident selection remain opaque and non-standardized. The already unclear selection criteria will be further impacted by the impending transition of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 from numeric scores to a binary pass/fail outcome. The purpose of this study was to investigate the historical and anticipated selection criteria of VSIR applicants., Methods: This was a cross-sectional, nationwide, 59-item survey that was sent to all VSIR program directors (PDs). Data was analyzed using the Fisher exact test if categorical and the Mann-Whitney U test and the Kruskal-Wallis test if ordinal., Results: Forty of 69 PDs (58%) responded to the survey. University-based programs constituted 85% of responders. Most VSIR PDs (65%) reported reviewing between 101 to 150 applications for 1 to 2 positions annually. Forty-two percent of the responding PDs reported sole responsibility for inviting applicants to interview, whereas 50% had a team of faculty responsible for reviewing applications. On a five-point Likert scale, letters of recommendation (LOR) from vascular surgeons or colleagues (a person the PD knows) were the most important objective criteria. Work within a team structure was rated highest among subjective criteria. The majority of respondents (72%) currently use the Step 1 score as a primary method to screen applicants. Regional differences in use of Step 1 score as a primary screening method were: Midwest (100%), Northeast (76%), South (43%), and West (40%) (P = .01). PDs responded that that they will use USMLE Step 2 score (42%) and LOR (10%) to replace USMLE Step 1 score. The current top ranked selection criteria are letters from a vascular surgeon, USMLE Step 1 score and overall LOR. The proposed top ranked selection criteria after transition of USMLE Step 1 to pass/fail include LOR overall followed by Step 2 score., Conclusions: This is the first study to evaluate the selection criteria used by PDs for VSIR. The landscape of VSIR selection criteria is shifting and increasing transparency is essential to applicants' understanding of the selection process. The transition of USMLE Step 1 to a pass/fail report will shift the attention to Step 2 scores and elevate the importance of other relatively more subjective criteria. Defining VSIR program selection criteria is an important first step toward establishing holistic review processes that are transparent and equitable., (Copyright © 2022 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: There is a paucity of data on how race affects the clinical presentation and short-term outcome among hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2, the 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19)., Methods: Hospitalized patients ≥ 18 years, testing positive for COVID-19 from March 13, 2020 to May 13, 2020 in a United States (U.S.) integrated healthcare system with multiple facilities in two states were evaluated. We documented racial differences in clinical presentation, disposition, and in-hospital outcomes for hospitalized patients with COIVD-19. Multivariable regression analysis was utilized to evaluate independent predictors of outcomes by race., Results: During the study period, 3678 patients tested positive for COVID-19, among which 866 were hospitalized (55.4% self-identified as Caucasian, 29.5% as Black, 3.3% as Hispanics, and 4.7% as other racial groups). Hospitalization rates were highest for Black patients (36.6%), followed by other (28.3%), Caucasian patients (24.4%), then Hispanic patients (10.7%) (p &lt; 0.001). Caucasian patients were older, and with more comorbidities. Absolute lymphocyte count was lowest among Caucasian patients. Multivariable regression analysis revealed that compared to Caucasians, there was no significant difference in in-hospital mortality among Black patients (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.53; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.26-1.09; p = 0.08) or other races (adjusted OR 1.62; 95% CI 0.80-3.27; p = 0.18). Black and Hispanic patients were admitted less frequently to the intensive care unit (ICU), and Black patients were less likely to require pressor support or hemodialysis (HD) compared with Caucasians., Conclusions: This observational analysis of a large integrated healthcare system early in the pandemic revealed that patients with COVID-19 did exhibit some racial variations in clinical presentation, laboratory data, and requirements for advanced monitoring and cardiopulmonary support, but these nuances did not dramatically alter in-hospital outcomes., (© 2021. W. Montague Cobb-NMA Health Institute.)

Objective: The Gore Excluder iliac branch endoprosthesis (IBE; W.L. Gore & Associates, Flagstaff, AZ) is the only iliac branch device approved in the United States to preserve blood flow to the external and internal iliac arteries (IIAs). Some surgeons have used the Gore Viabahn VBX balloon expandable endoprosthesis (VBX; W.L. Gore & Associates) in the IIA rather than the self-expanding endograft designed for the IBE, the internal iliac component (IIC). The objective of the present study was to examine the outcomes for patients treated for aortoiliac artery aneurysms using the IBE with either the IIC or VBX stent., Methods: We performed a retrospective, single-center review of patients treated for aortoiliac artery aneurysms using the Gore IBE device, with either the IIC or VBX stent into the IIA, from February 2016 to March 2021. The patient demographics, procedure details, 30-day morbidity and mortality, and 6-month and 1-year outcomes and mortality were analyzed. The categorical factors are summarized using frequencies and proportions. Continuous measures are summarized as the mean ± standard deviation. A significance level of P = .05 was assumed for all test results. The analyses were performed using SAS software, version 9.4 (SAS Institute, Cary, NC)., Results: A total of 62 patients (64 arteries) had undergone elective aortoiliac artery aneurysm repair with the IBE. The IIC was used exclusively in 35 cases (55%) and the VBX in 29 (45%). The patients who had received the VBX had had a higher American Society of Anesthesiologists class (P = .006). Upper extremity access was used for VBX delivery in 24.1% of the procedures. No return to the operating room was required in either group. No differences were found in technical success (IIC, 97.1%; VBX, 93.1%; P = .59), the presence of endoleak on completion (20.0% vs 6.9%; P = .17), readmission (97.1% vs 93.1%; P = .59), or mortality (1.6% vs 0%; P = .45) at 30 days. No differences were found in the requirement for any IBE reintervention after 30 days. No type Ia, Ib, or III endoleaks had occurred in either group at any follow-up point. No significant difference was found in internal iliac limb primary patency (IIC, 100%; VBX, 96.3%) between groups. A nonstatistically significant trend was found toward fewer trunk-ipsilateral leg type II endoleaks in the VBX group during follow-up., Conclusions: These data suggest that the VBX is a reasonable substitute for the IIC, with a comparable safety and efficacy profile. Given its inherent conformability, greater range of diameters, and longer working length, the VBX stent offers expanded IIA branch options with the IBE., (Copyright © 2022 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Ultrasound (US) remains a valuable modality for the assessment of vascular diseases, with conventional sonographic techniques such as grayscale and Doppler US used extensively to assess carotid atherosclerosis and abdominal aortic aneurysms. However, conventional US techniques are inherently limited by factors such as operator dependency and limited field of view. There is an increasing interest in the use of advanced sonographic techniques such as contrast-enhanced US (CEUS) and 3-dimensional (3D) US to mitigate some of these limitations. Clinical applications of advanced sonographic techniques include surveillance of abdominal aortic aneurysm, post-endovascular aortic repair, and carotid atherosclerotic plaques. Recently published studies have demonstrated that CEUS and 3D US are superior to conventional US and comparable to computed tomography for certain vascular applications. Further research is required to fully validate the application of advanced sonographic techniques in evaluating various atherosclerotic diseases., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)