Society For Vascular Surgery Guidelines Research Articles

Perioperative complications of minor and major reinterventions for peripheral arterial disease.

Patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) frequently require reinterventions after lower-extremity revascularization (LER) to maintain perfusion. Current Society for Vascular Surgery guidelines define reinterventions as major or minor based on the magnitude of the procedure. While prior studies have compared primary LER procedures of different magnitudes, similar studies for reinterventions have not been performed. The objective of this study is to compare perioperative outcomes associated with major and minor reinterventions. Patients undergoing LER for PAD at a tertiary care center from 2013 to 2017 were included. A retrospective review of electronic medical records was performed, and reinterventions were categorized as major or minor based on the procedure magnitude. Minor reinterventions included endovascular procedures and open revision with patch angioplasty, while major reinterventions were characterized by open surgical or endovascular LER with catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT). Perioperative outcomes following LER were captured and compared for major and minor reinterventions. An additional subgroup analysis was performed comparing outcomes associated with major reinterventions stratified into open major surgical reinterventions and CDT. This study included 713 patients over a mean follow-up of 2.5years. A total of 291 patients underwent 696 ipsilateral reinterventions (range = 1-12 reinterventions). Most reinterventions were minor (72.1%, N = 502) and 27.9% (N = 194) were major. Patients receiving reinterventions had an average age of 67.2 ± 11.5 and most were white (73.5%) males (60.1%) initially treated for claudication (58.2%) and CLTI (41.8%). There was significantly higher post-operative bleeding (9.8% vs 3.4%, p = .001), arterial thrombosis (3.1% vs 1.0%, p = .047), and acute renal failure (6.2% vs 2.4%, p = .014) after major reinterventions than minor. Additionally, major reinterventions had significantly higher return to the OR (17.0% vs 11.3%, p = .046) and longer hospital stays (7.5 vs 4.3days, p = <.0001). Overall, major reinterventions were associated with significantly increased perioperative morbidity (37.6% vs 19.7%, p ≤ .001) with no difference in perioperative mortality. In the subgroup analysis, open reinterventions resulted in significantly longer hospital stays (8.6days vs 5.5days, p ≤ .001) and more wound infections than CDT (11.0% vs 0%, p = .017). However, there was no other significant difference in morbidity or mortality following treatment with open surgical reinterventions or CDT. In this study, major reinterventions after LER were associated with greater perioperative morbidity than minor reinterventions, with no difference in mortality. Major reinterventions performed via open surgery and CDT had similar morbidity and mortality.

Follow-up compliance in patients undergoing abdominal aortic aneurysm repair at Veterans Affairs hospitals

ObjectiveThe Society for Vascular Surgery guidelines recommend annual imaging surveillance following endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) and every 5 years following open surgical repairs (OSR) of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). Adherence to these guidelines is low outside of clinical trials, and compliance at Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals is not yet well-established. We examined imaging follow-up compliance and mortality rates after AAA repair at VA hospitals. MethodsWe queried the VA Surgical Quality Improvement Program database for elective infrarenal AAA repairs, EVAR and OSR, then merged in follow-up imaging and mortality information. Mortality rate over time was derived using Kaplan-Meier estimation. Generalized estimating equation with a logit link and a sandwich standard error estimate was performed to compare the probability of having annual follow-up imaging over time between procedure types and to identify variables associated with follow-up imaging for EVAR patients. ResultsOur analysis included 11,668 patients who underwent EVAR and 4507 patients who underwent OSR at VA hospitals between the years 2000 and 2019. The 30-day mortality rate for EVAR and OSR was 0.37% and 0.82%, respectively. OSR was associated with lower long-term mortality after adjusting age, sex, American Society of Anesthesiologists classification and preoperative renal failure with an adjusted hazard ratio of 0.88 (95% confidence interval, 0.84-0.92; P < .01). Of surviving patients, the follow-up imaging rate was 69.1% by 1 year post-EVAR. The follow-up rate after 5 years was 45.6% post-EVAR compared with 63.6% post-OSR of surviving patients. A history of smoking or drinking, baseline hypertension, and known cardiac disease were independently associated with poor follow-up after EVAR. ConclusionsPatients undergoing elective open AAA repair in the VA hospital system had lower long-term mortality compared with patients who underwent endovascular repair. Compliance with post-EVAR imaging is low. Patient factors associated with poor post-EVAR imaging surveillance were smoking within the last year, excess alcohol consumption, and cardiac risk factors including hypertension, prior myocardial infarction, and congestive heart failure.

A comparison of the 2022 Society for Vascular Surgery and the 2023 European Society for Vascular Surgery guidelines for the management of patients with asymptomatic and symptomatic carotid stenosis

A comparison of the 2022 Society for Vascular Surgery and the 2023 European Society for Vascular Surgery guidelines for the management of patients with asymptomatic and symptomatic carotid stenosis

Popliteal artery aneurysm ultrasound criteria for reporting characteristics.

Duplex ultrasound (DUS) is the modality of choice for surveillance of popliteal artery aneurysms (PAAs). However, noninvasive vascular laboratories have no standard guidelines for reporting results. This study assessed reports of PAA DUS for inclusion of information pertinent to operative decision-making and timing of surveillance. This study was a retrospective review of a multi-institutional repository that was queried for all patients with a PAA from 2008 to 2022 and confirmed via manual chart review. DUS reports were abstracted and images were individually annotated for features of interest including dimensions, flow abnormalities, and percent thrombus burden. A total of 166 PAAs in 130 patients had at least one DUS available for viewing. Postoperative surveillance of PAAs was performed at several intervals: the first at 30 months (IQR 3.7-113, n = 44), the second at 64 months (IQR 20-172, n = 31), and the third at 152 months (IQR 46-217, n = 16) after the operation. The largest diameter of operative PAAs (median 27.5 mm, IQR 21.8-38.0) was significantly greater than nonoperative PAAs (median 20.9 mm, IQR 16.7-27.3); p < 0.01. Fewer than 33 (21%) reports commented on patency of distal runoff. We calculated an average percent thrombus of 60% (IQR 19-81) in nonoperative PAAs, which is significantly smaller than 75% (IQR 58-89) in operative PAAs; p < 0.01. In this multi-institutional retrospective study, PAAs are often not followed at intervals recommended by the Society for Vascular Surgery guidelines and do not include all measurements necessary for clinical decision-making in the multi-institutional repository studied. There should be standardization of PAA DUS protocols performed by all noninvasive vascular laboratories to ensure completeness of PAA DUS images and inclusion of characteristics pertinent to clinical decision-making in radiology reports.

One-year aneurysm-sac dynamics are associated with reinterventions and rupture following infrarenal endovascular aneurysm repair

ObjectiveOne-year aneurysm sac changes have previously been found to be associated with mortality and may have the potential to guide personalized follow-up following endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). In this study, we examined the association of these early sac changes with long-term reintervention and rupture. MethodsWe identified all patients undergoing first-time EVAR for intact abdominal aortic aneurysm between 2003 and 2018 in the Vascular Quality Initiative with linkage to Medicare claims for long-term outcomes. We included patients with an imaging study at 1 year postoperatively. Aneurysm sac behavior was defined as per the Society for Vascular Surgery guidelines: stable sac (<5 mm change), sac regression (≥5 mm), and sac expansion (≥5 mm). Outcomes included mortality, reintervention, and rupture within 8 years, which were assessed with Kaplan-Meier methods and multivariable Cox regression analysis. Secondarily, we utilized polynomial spline interpolation to demonstrate the continuous relationship of diameter change to 8-year hazard of reintervention, rupture, or mortality as a composite outcome. ResultsOf 31,185 EVAR patients, 16,102 (52%) had an imaging study at 1 year and were included in this study. At 1 year, 44% of sacs remained stable, 49% regressed, and 6.2% displayed expansion. Following risk adjustment, compared with a stable sac at 1 year, sac regression was associated with lower 8-year mortality (49% vs 53%; hazard ratio [HR], 0.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.85-0.99; P = .036), reintervention rate (8.9% vs 15%; HR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.50-0.68; P < .001), and rupture rate (2.0% vs 4.0%; HR, 0.45; 95%CI, 0.29-0.69; P < .001). Conversely, compared with a stable sac, sac expansion was associated with higher 8-year mortality (64% vs 53%; HR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.14-1.51; P < .001) and reintervention rate (27% vs 15%; HR, 1.98; 95% CI, 1.57-2.51; P < .001), but similar risk of rupture (7.2% vs 4.0%; HR, 1.61; 95% CI, 0.88-2.96; P = .12). Polynomial spline interpolation demonstrated that, compared with no diameter change at 1 year, increased sac regression was associated with an incrementally lower risk of late outcomes, whereas increased sac expansion was associated with an incrementally higher risk of late outcomes. ConclusionsFollowing EVAR, compared with a stable sac at 1-year imaging, sac regression and expansion are associated with a lower and higher risk respectively of long-term mortality, reinterventions, and ruptures. Moreover, the amount of regression or expansion seems to be incrementally associated with these late outcomes, too. Future studies are needed to determine how to improve 1-year sac regression, and whether it is safe to extend follow-up intervals for patients with regressing sacs.

A systematic review supporting the Society for Vascular Surgery guidelines on the management of heritable aortopathies

BackgroundTo support the development of clinical practice guidelines on the management of patients with genetic aortopathies and arteriopathies, a writing committee from the Society for Vascular Surgery has commissioned this systematic review. MethodsWe conducted a systematic review and searched multiple databases for studies addressing six questions identified by the Society for Vascular Surgery guideline committee about evaluating and managing patients with genetic aortopathies and arteriopathies. Studies were selected and appraised by pairs of independent reviewers. ResultsWe included 12 studies in this systematic review. We did not identify studies about the long-term outcomes of endovascular repair for aortic aneurysm in patients with heritable aortopathy or about new aortic events in pregnant women with a history of aortic dissection (AD) or aneurysm. A small case series demonstrated a 100% survival rate and 100% aortic intervention-free survival at 15 months (range, 7-28 months) after endograft repair for type B AD. A positive genetic diagnosis was discovered in 36% of patients with aortic aneurysms and dissections who had no risk factors for hereditary aortopathies, and these patients had a mortality rate of 11% at a median follow-up duration of 5 months. Black patients had lower 30-day mortality than White patients (5.6% vs 9.0%, respectively), but they had a higher overall aortic reintervention rate at 30 days after AD repair (47% vs 27%, respectively). Aortic reinterventions owing to aneurysmal expansion and endoleak at 30 days were higher in Black patients than White patients. The certainty of evidence was judged to be very low across all the outcomes evaluated in this systematic review. ConclusionsThe available evidence suggests high survival after thoracic endovascular aortic repair for type B AD in young patients with heritable aortopathies, but with limited long-term follow-up. Genetic testing in patients with acute aortic aneurysms and dissections had a high yield. It was positive for most patients with risk factors for hereditary aortopathies and in more than one-third for all other patients, and was associated with new aortic events within 15 years.

Society for Vascular Surgery duplex ultrasound surveillance guidelines are safe and cost effective for transcarotid artery revascularization

BackgroundCarotid duplex ultrasound (CDUS) examination is used in the long-term surveillance after transcarotid artery revascularization (TCAR). The objective of this study was to evaluate the usefulness and cost effectiveness of post-TCAR CDUS surveillance regimens in monitoring for in-stent restenosis (ISR) and associated stroke risk at a single-center community institution. MethodsCDUS data were collected retrospectively from patients who had undergone TCAR between January 2017 and January 2023. ISR >50% was defined as a peak systolic velocity (PSV) of >220 cm/s and an internal carotid artery (ICA) to common carotid velocity ratio of >2.7. ISR >80% was defined as a PSV of >340 cm/s and an ICA/common carotid artery ratio of >4.15. Study outcomes included incidences of ISR, reintervention, transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), strokes, and mortality. A Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was done to calculate the rates of freedom from ISR. ResultsDuring the study period, 108 TCAR stents were deployed in 104 patients. Eight patients were excluded in analysis or lost to follow-up. Preoperatively, 62% of patients had >80% stenosis, and 39% were symptomatic. No intraprocedural complications were noted. One patient suffered an immediate postoperative dissection. Eight stents (8%) experienced ISR progression from <50% to >50%. Three of the eight had further ISR progression to >80%. One patient had high-grade ISR and a contralateral ICA occlusion that warranted reintervention. There were no occurrences of postoperative TIAs, strokes, or TCAR-related deaths. Rates of freedom from ISR progression from <50% to >50% were 97.4%, 95.9%, 90.9%, 88.2%, and 88.2% at 6, 12, 24, 36, and 42 months, respectively. Rates of freedom from ISR >80% were 100%, 100%, 98.5%, 95.5%, and 95.5% at the same time points. Patients with >50% ISR tended to be females with hyperlipidemia. In addition, they had higher average lesion lengths and lower rates of postdilation balloon angioplasty. The 5-year estimated surveillance cost in this cohort using the Society for Vascular Surgery 2022, and 2018 guidelines, as well as our current protocol would be $113,853, $221,382, and $193,207, respectively. ConclusionsThis study revealed a low incidence of ISR progression, as well as no TIA, stroke, or TCAR-related deaths, highlighting the safety and efficacy of TCAR. Post-TCAR CDUS examination using the updated Society for Vascular Surgery guidelines are safe and cost effective. Patients with contralateral occlusion or stenosis, or who have significant risk factors, should have more frequent surveillance regimens.

Adherence to Society for Vascular Surgery Guidelines for Claudication in the Society for Vascular Surgery Vascular Quality Initiative

Current Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) guidelines recommend 51 specific factors related to the management of intermittent claudication as quality measures. It was the objective of this study to assess rates of adherence to these guidelines for patients treated with suprainguinal or infrainguinal bypass or percutaneous vascular intervention and to determine if this was associated with a difference in the periprocedural outcomes. All patients from the SVS Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI) undergoing infrainguinal bypass (INFRA), suprainguinal bypass (SUPRA), and percutaneous vascular intervention (PVI) for claudication from 2018 were included. Nonelective procedures for other than chronic atherosclerotic disease were excluded. The rates of adherence to each assessable guideline were evaluated. For outcomes analysis, individuals were classified as “adherent” to the guidelines vs not and compared. Of the 51 SVS recommendations, 12 could be evaluated using VQI registries; these included first-line ankle-brachial index, smoking cessation, statin therapy, antiplatelet therapy with aspirin, optimal medical therapy after intervention, anatomic imaging studies before intervention, optimizing diabetes control, Plavix as second-line antiplatelet, adjunct stenting in intermediate superficial femoral artery lesions, annual follow-up, covered stents for the treatment of aortoiliac disease, and no recommended endovascular treatment for isolated infrapopliteal disease. The rates of overall “adherence” were 38.2% for INFRA, 17.1% for SUPRA, and 32.2% for PVI. There were a surprising number of isolated tibial (n = 1431, 3.1%) and pedal (n = 12, 0.03%) endovascular interventions performed for claudication. There were 784 tibial bypasses (19.3%), 30 (0.7%) at the ankle, 2 of which were tarsal/plantar bypasses for claudication. It appears that for the most part, there do not seem to be important clinical differences in outcomes based on the study definition of adherence for all outcomes assessed. Among factors such as survival (Fig 1), time to amputation (Fig 2), primary patency (Fig 3), and time to reoperation/reintervention for occlusion (Fig 4) for INFRA, SUPRA, and PVI, there were no differences between individuals meeting the study definition of adherence vs those not adherent for all outcomes was assessed. Overall adherence rates to SVS guidelines for the management of intermittent claudication are low and may be an opportunity for improvement in patient outcomes. An absence of differences noted in this study may reflect unmeasured factors in patient selection or in outcomes. Adding more of the SVS recommendations for the management of intermittent claudication to the VQI registry may serve as a future focus for quality improvement projects.

Your New Year’s “resolution”—check your “screen!”

Your New Year’s “resolution”—check your “screen!”

Role of Transcarotid Artery Revascularization (TCAR) as a Carotid Revascularization Option

Transcarotid artery revascularization (TCAR) is a hybrid carotid revascularization procedure in which carotid stenting is accomplished by making an incision at the base of the neck & surgically exposing the common carotid artery. The evidence base for TCAR safety & efficacy comes from PROOF, ROADSTER, & ROADSTER 2 studies. The Society for Vascular Surgery guidelines for the treatment of carotid artery disease (2022) opine TCAR to be at least equivalent to Carotid Endarterectomy (CEA) in terms of safety & efficacy, with some potential improvements. In comparison with Transfemoral Carotid Artery Stenting (TF-CAS), the overall data demonstrates better outcomes with TCAR. In high-risk subjects like elderly more symptomatic patients with higher concurrent medical comorbidities, TCAR in fact appears to be preferable to both CEA & TF-CAS. Whereas this technique appears safe in the short-term, long-term vessel patency requires prospective follow-up studies.

Characteristics and 1-year outcomes of patients with rupture of small abdominal aortic aneurysms

ObjectivesRuptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (rAAA) are associated typically with a large sac diameter; however, some patients experience rupture before reaching operative thresholds for elective repair. We aim to investigate the characteristics and outcomes of patients who experience small rAAA. MethodsThe Vascular Quality Initiative database for open AAA repair and endovascular aneurysm repair from 2003 to 2020 were reviewed for all rAAA cases. Based on the 2018 Society for Vascular Surgery guidelines on operative size thresholds for elective repair, patients with infrarenal aneurysms of less than 5.0 cm in women or less than 5.5 cm in men were categorized as a small rAAA. Patients who met operative thresholds or had a concomitant iliac diameter 3.5 cm or greater were categorized as a large rAAA. Patient characteristics and perioperative as well as long-term outcomes were compared via univariate regression. Inverse probability of treatment weighting using propensity scores was used to examine the relationship between rAAA size and adverse outcomes. ResultsThere were 3962 cases that met inclusion criteria, with 12.2% small rAAA. The mean aneurysm diameter was 42.3 mm and 78.5 mm in the small and large rAAA groups, respectively. Patients in the small rAAA group were significantly more likely to be younger, African American, have a lower body mass index, and had significantly higher rates of hypertension. Small rAAA were more likely to be repaired via endovascular aneurysm repair (P = .001). Hypotension was significantly less likely in patients with small rAAA (P<.001). Rates of perioperative myocardial infarction (P < .001), total morbidity (P < .004) and mortality (P < .001) were significantly higher for large rAAA cases. After propensity matching, there was no significant difference in mortality between the two groups, but smaller rAAA was associated with lower rates of myocardial infarction (odds ratio, 0.50; 95% confidence interval, 0.31-0.82). On long-term follow-up, no difference in mortality was noted between the two groups. ConclusionsPatients presenting with small rAAA represent 12.2% of all rAAA and are more likely to be African American. Small rAAA is associated with similar risk of perioperative and long-term mortality compared with rupture at larger size after risk adjustment.

Distal embolic protection use during transfemoral carotid artery stenting is associated with improved in-hospital outcomes

ObjectiveDespite current guidelines recommending the use of distal embolic protection during transfemoral carotid artery stenting (tfCAS) to prevent periprocedural stroke, there remains significant variation in the routine use of distal filters. We sought to assess in-hospital outcomes in patients undergoing tfCAS with and without embolic protection using a distal filter. MethodsWe identified all patients undergoing tfCAS in the Vascular Quality Initiative from March 2005 to December 2021 and excluded those who received proximal embolic balloon protection. We created propensity score-matched cohorts of patients who underwent tfCAS with and without attempted placement of a distal filter. Subgroup analyses of patients with failed vs successful filter placement and failed vs no attempt at filter placement were performed. In-hospital outcomes were assessed using log binomial regression, adjusted for protamine use. Outcomes of interest were composite stroke/death, stroke, death, myocardial infarction (MI), transient ischemic attack (TIA), and hyperperfusion syndrome. ResultsAmong 29,853 patients who underwent tfCAS, 28,213 (95%) had a filter attempted for distal embolic protection and 1640 (5%) did not. After matching, 6859 patients were identified. No attempted filter was associated with significantly higher risk of in-hospital stroke/death (6.4% vs 3.8%; adjusted relative risk [aRR], 1.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.32-2.23; P < .001), stroke (3.7% vs 2.5%; aRR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.06-2.08; P = .022), and mortality (3.5% vs 1.7%; aRR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.42-3.020; P < .001). In a secondary analysis of patients who had failed attempt at filter placement vs successful filter placement, failed filter placement was associated with worse outcomes (stroke/death: 5.8% vs 2.7%; aRR, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.38-3.21; P = .001 and stroke: 5.3% vs 1.8%; aRR, 2.87; 95% CI, 1.78-4.61; P < .001). However, there were no differences in outcomes in patients with failed vs no attempted filter placement (stroke/death: 5.4% vs 6.2%; aRR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.61-1.63; P = .99; stroke: 4.7% vs 3.7%; aRR, 1.40; 95% CI, 0.79-2.48; P = .20; death: 0.9% vs 3.4%; aRR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.12-1.01; P = .052). ConclusionstfCAS performed without attempted distal embolic protection was associated with a significantly higher risk of in-hospital stroke and death. Patients undergoing tfCAS after failed attempt at filter placement have equivalent stroke/death to patients in whom no filter was attempted, but more than a two-fold higher risk of stroke/death compared with those with successfully placed filters. These findings support current Society for Vascular Surgery guidelines recommending routine use of distal embolic protection during tfCAS. If a filter cannot be placed safely, an alternative approach to carotid revascularization should be considered.

Capturing the complexity of open abdominal aortic surgery in the endovascular era.

Volume and quality benchmarks for open abdominal aortic surgery and particularly open aortic aneurysm repair (OAR) in the endovascular era are guided by the Society for Vascular Surgery guidelines, but the Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI) OAR module fails to capture the full spectrum of complex OAR. We hypothesized that VQI-ineligible complex OAR would be the dominant form of open repairs performed at a VQI-participating tertiary center. All OAR cases performed at a single tertiary care center from 2007 to 2020 were reviewed. The VQI OAR criteria were applied with exclusions (non-VQI) defined as concomitant renal bypass, clamping above the superior mesenteric artery or celiac artery, repairs performed for trauma, anastomotic aneurysm, isolated iliac aneurysm, or infected aneurysms. Linear regression was used to assess temporal trends. Among a total of 481 open abdominal aortic operations, 355 (74%) were OAR. The average annual OAR volume remained stable over 14years (25± 6; P= .46). Non-VQI OAR comprised 54% of all cases and persisted over time (R2=0.047, P= .46). Supraceliac clamping (35%) was often necessary. The proportion of endograft explantation cases significantly increased over time from 4% in 2007 to 20% in 2019 (P= .01). Infectious indications represented 20% (n= 70) of cases. Visceral branch grafts were performed in 16% of all cases. OAR for ruptured aneurysm constituted 10% of cases. Thirty-day mortality was significantly higher in non-VQI vs VQI-eligible OAR cases (10% vs 4%; P= .04). Complex OAR comprises a majority of OAR cases in a contemporary tertiary referral hospital, yet these cases are not accounted for in the VQI. Creation of a "complex OAR" VQI module would capture these cases in a quality-driven national registry and help to better inform benchmarks for volume and outcomes in aortic surgery.

Effects of abdominal aortic aneurysm appropriateness dashboard on clinical practice

ObjectiveThe 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. MethodsWe 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 χ2 test or Fisher exact test. Continuous measures were summarized using the mean ± standard deviation and compared between study periods using two-sample t tests. ResultsFrom 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). ConclusionsThe 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.

Open and Endovascular Repair for Splenic Artery Aneurysm: 20-year Experience at Toronto General Hospital

Splenic artery aneurysms (SAAs) are uncommon aneurysms that have been diagnosed with increasing frequency during the past few years. The recently published Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) clinical practice guidelines on the management of visceral aneurysms revised the previous recommended size threshold for repair of nonruptured true aneurysms from 2 cm to 3 cm and continued to recommend treatment of any SAAs diagnosed in women of childbearing age and any pseudoaneurysms. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate and analyze the data and outcomes of patients who had undergone open and endovascular repair of SAAs at Toronto General Hospital and compare the size threshold for repair with the recently reported SVS guidelines.

Risk factors for mortality within 5 years of carotid endarterectomy for asymptomatic stenosis

Objective: The current Society for Vascular Surgery guidelines for the treatment of patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis recommend endarterectomy for patients with >70% stenosis and acceptable surgical risk. The reduced rate of stroke with modern medical therapy has increased the importance of careful selection in deciding which patients should undergo elective carotid endarterectomy (CEA) for asymptomatic disease. It would, therefore, be very prudent to investigate preexisting variables predictive of 5-year mortality for patients meeting the criteria to undergo CEA.

Cost-Effectiveness and Short-Term Benefits of Endovascular Aortic Repair Versus Open Surgical Repair for Ruptured Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (rAAAs) can be treated via endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) or open surgical repair (OSR). Based on recent Society for Vascular Surgery guidelines, EVAR has become the recommended approach for rAAAs. However, relatively few data are available regarding the cost-effectiveness. We hypothesized that EVAR would be less cost-effective owing to device costs but that, being minimally invasive, would have better outcomes compared to OSR.

Risk Factors for Mortality Within 5 Years of Carotid Endarterectomy for Asymptomatic Stenosis

Current Society for Vascular Surgery guidelines for the management of patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis recommend carotid endarterectomy (CEA) for patients with more than 70% stenosis and acceptable surgical risk. The reduced rate of stroke with modern medical therapy increases the importance of careful selection in deciding which patients undergo elective CEA for asymptomatic disease. It is therefore very prudent to investigate preexisting variables predictive of 5 year mortality among patients meeting criteria to undergo CEA.

Cost-effectiveness of computed tomography versus ultrasound-based surveillance following endovascular aortic repair of intact infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms

BackgroundWhile Society for Vascular Surgery guidelines recommend computed tomography angiography (CTA) or ultrasound for surveillance following infrarenal endovascular aortic repair (EVAR), there is a lack of consensus regarding optimal timing and modalities. We hypothesized that ultrasound-based approaches would be more cost-effective and developed a cost-effectiveness analysis to estimate the lifetime costs and outcomes of various strategies. MethodsWe developed a decision tree with nested Markov models to compare five surveillance strategies: yearly CTA, yearly CDU, yearly CEU, CTA at first year followed by CDU, and CTA at first year followed by CEU. The model accounted for differential sensitivity, specificity, and risk of acute kidney injury after CTA, and was implemented on a monthly cycle with a willingness-to-pay threshold of $50,000 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) and 3% annual discounting. ResultsUnder base case assumptions, the CTA-CDU strategy was cost effective with a lifetime cost of $77950 for 7.74 QALYs. In sensitivity analysis, the CTA-CDU approach remained cost-effective when CEU specificity was less than 95%, and risk of acute kidney injury following CTA was less than 20%. At diagnostic sensitivities below 75% for CEU and 55% for CDU, a yearly CTA strategy maximized QALYs. ConclusionsA hybrid strategy in which CTA is performed in the first year and CDU is performed annually thereafter is the most cost-effective strategy for infrarenal EVAR surveillance in patients with less than a 20% risk of contrast-induced nephropathy. If the sensitivity of CEU and CDU are at the lower end of plausible estimates, a yearly CTA strategy is reasonable. Further research should aim to identify patients who may benefit from alternative surveillance strategies.

Risk factors for mortality within 5 years of carotid endarterectomy for asymptomatic stenosis

ObjectiveThe current Society for Vascular Surgery guidelines for the treatment of patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis recommend endarterectomy for patients with >70% stenosis and acceptable surgical risk. The reduced rate of stroke with modern medical therapy has increased the importance of careful selection in deciding which patients should undergo elective carotid endarterectomy (CEA) for asymptomatic disease. It would, therefore, be very prudent to investigate preexisting variables predictive of 5-year mortality for patients meeting the criteria to undergo CEA. MethodsThe Vascular Quality Initiative was queried from 2003 onward for all cases of CEA. Inclusion in the study required the following: (1) documentation of survival status; (2) complete data on all incorporated demographic study variables; and (3) asymptomatic neurologic status. The variables present at surgery were investigated using binary logistic regression to identify multivariate predictors of 5-year mortality. The highest risk variables were then interrogated for an additive effect regarding long-term mortality. A subanalysis was performed for patients aged >80 years. ResultsA total of 30,615 patients met the inclusion criteria, 5414 (18%) of whom had died within 5 years. The highest risk variables were classified as those that had had an adjusted odds ratio >1.25, P < .001, and beta coefficient of ≥0.25. These included a body mass index <20 kg/m2, diabetes mellitus, a history of congestive heart failure, renal insufficiency, end-stage renal disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, living status other than home, prior lower extremity bypass, prior major amputation, Black race relative to other races combined, hemoglobin <10 mg/dL, a history of neck irradiation, and a history of smoking. Age had an annual odds ratio of 1.04 (P < .001). Other variables that achieved a statistically significant (P < .05) association with 5-year mortality were coronary artery disease, a positive stress test or the occurrence of myocardial infarction within 2 years, lower extremity arterial intervention, aneurysm repair, and P2Y12 inhibitor therapy at surgery. The use of statin and aspirin therapy at surgery were both protective against 5-year mortality (P < .001). ConclusionsWe identified 12 particularly high-risk variables, which, in combination, progressively predicted for increasing mortality within 5 years of CEA performed for asymptomatic stenosis. Special attention should be given to patients aged >80 years and patients with any history of congestive heart failure regardless of current symptoms, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, renal insufficiency or end-stage renal disease, peripheral artery disease, diabetes, and variables associated with frailty (BMI under 20, anemia, assisted living status).