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ABSTRACT: Patients with healed venous ulcers often experience recurrence of ulceration, despite the use of long-term compression therapy. This study examines the effect of closing incompetent superficial and/or perforating veins on ulcer recurrence rates in patients with CEAP 5 who have progressive lipodermatosclerosis and impending ulceration.
Endovenous ablation was performed on patients with CEAP 5 disease and incompetent superficial and/or perforator veins and increasing lipodermatosclerosis and/or progressive malleolar pain. A minimum of 3 months of compressive therapy was attempted before endovenous ablation of incompetent veins. Demographic data, risk factors, CEAP classification, procedural details, and postoperative status were all recorded. Patients underwent duplex ultrasound scans before ablation to assess for deep, superficial, and perforator venous incompetence as well as postoperatively to confirm successful ablation.
Twenty-eight endovenous ablation procedures (superficial = 19; perforator = 9) were performed on 20 patients (limbs = 21). The mean patient age was 73 years old (range, 45-93 years) and the mean body mass index was 29.5 (18.9-58.4). Ninety-five percent of patients previously wore compression stockings (20-30 mm Hg = 9; 30-40 mm Hg = 10; none = 1) for a mean time of 23.3 months (range, 3-52 months) since the prior ulcer healed. Indications for venous ablation were increasing malleolar pain (55%) and/or lipodermatosclerosis (70%). Technical success rates for the ablation procedures were 100% for superficial veins and 89% for perforators (96.4% overall). All patients underwent closure of at least one incompetent vein. Postoperatively, 95% of patients were compliant with wearing compression stockings (20-30 mm Hg = 8; 30-40 mm Hg = 11; none = 1). Ulcer recurrence rates were 0% at 6 months and 4.8% at 12 and 18 months. These data compare with prior studies showing an ulcer recurrence rate up to 67% at 12 months with compression alone.
Patients with CEAP 5 healed venous ulcers that undergo endovenous ablation of incompetent superficial and perforating veins and maintain compression have reduced ulcer recurrence rates compared with historical controls that are treated with compression alone.
Journal of vascular surgery: official publication, the Society for Vascular Surgery [and] International Society for Cardiovascular Surgery, North American Chapter 11/2011; 55(2):446-50. · 3.52 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Standardizing surgical skills teaching has been proposed as a method to rapidly attain technical competence. This study compared acquisition of vascular skills by standardized vs traditional teaching methods.
The study randomized 18 first-year surgical residents to a standardized or traditional group. Participants were taught technical aspects of vascular anastomosis using femoral anastomosis simulation (Limbs & Things, Savannah, Ga), supplemented with factual information. One expert instructor taught a standardized anastomosis technique using the same method each time to one group over four sessions, while, similar to current vascular training, four different expert instructors each taught one session to the other (traditional) group. Knowledge and technical skill were assessed at study completion by an independent vascular expert using Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skill (OSATS) performance metrics. Participants also provided a written evaluation of the study experience.
The standardized group had significantly higher mean overall technical (95.7% vs 75.8%; P = .038) and global skill scores (83.4% vs 67%; P = .006). Tissue handling, efficiency of motion, overall technical skill, and flow of operation were rated significantly higher in the standardized group (mean range, 88%-96% vs 67.6%-77.6%; P < .05). The standardized group trended to better cognitive knowledge (mean, 68.8% vs 60.7%; P = .182), creation of a secure knot at the toe of the anastomosis, fashioning an appropriate arteriotomy, better double-ended suture placement at the heel of the anastomosis (100% vs 62.7%; P = .07), and accurate suture placement (70% vs 25%; P = .153). Seventy-two percent of participant evaluations suggested a preference for a standardized approach.
This study demonstrates the feasibility of open vascular simulation to assess the effect of differing teaching methods on performance outcome. Findings from this report suggest that for simulation training, standardized may be more effective than traditional methods of teaching. Transferability of simulator-acquired skills to the clinical setting will be required before open simulation can be unequivocally recommended as a major component of resident technical skill training.
Journal of vascular surgery: official publication, the Society for Vascular Surgery [and] International Society for Cardiovascular Surgery, North American Chapter 01/2011; 53(1):229-234, 235.e1-2; discussion 234-5. · 3.52 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Although technological improvements continue to advance the designs of aortic stent grafts, miniaturization of the required delivery systems would allow their application to be available to a wider range of patients and potentially decrease the access difficulties that are encountered. We performed this feasibility study to determine if thin-film NiTi (Nitinol) could be used as a covering for stent grafts ranging from 16 mm to 40 mm in diameter. Specifically, we wished to determine the profile reduction attainable and improve the flexibility of our design.
Using a novel hot-sputter deposition technique, we created sheets of thin-film NiTi (TFN) with a tensile strength of >500 Megapascal (MPa) and thickness of 5-10 microns. TFN was used to cover stents, which were then deployed in vitro. Patterned thin film was fabricated via a lift-off technique; grafts were constructed with stents ranging from 16-40 mm and deployed in a pulsatile flow system from the smallest diameter polymer tubing into which the stent and TFN would fit. The bending/stiffness ratio vs similar sized expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE)-covered stents was also determined.
TFN was created in both non-patterned and patterned forms, with a tensile strength of >100 MPa for the latter. We created devices that were successfully deployed via delivery systems half the size of fabric-covered stent grafts (ie, the 16 mm stent graft that originally was delivered via a 16French (F) system was reduced to 8F, and the 40 mm stent graft delivered via a 24F system was reduced to 12F). No migration of the devices was observed with deployment in both straight and curved tubing, which was sized so that the stent grafts were oversized by 20%. Both forms of the thin-film were noted to be more flexible than the same sized ePTFE stent graft, and the patterned graft had an additional 15-30% flexibility vs the non-patterned film.
These in vitro results demonstrate the feasibility of TFN for covering stent grafts designed for placement in the aorta. The delivery profile can be significantly reduced across a wide range of sizes, while the material remained more flexible than ePTFE.
Journal of vascular surgery: official publication, the Society for Vascular Surgery [and] International Society for Cardiovascular Surgery, North American Chapter 08/2009; 50(2):375-80. · 3.52 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysms (IAAA) can present significant challenges to surgeons, especially in the juxtarenal location where they may not be amenable to endovascular repair. The dense, inflammatory component of these lesions can encase adjacent structures including the duodenum, ureters, and inferior vena cava putting them at risk for injury during open exposure. We report a novel ''reverse hybrid'' technique using a combined endovascular and open approach for repair of large, juxtarenal IAAA's.
Vascular and Endovascular Surgery 43(5):494-6. · 0.99 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Surgical training in the USA and Europe has undergone radical changes with respect to working patterns, culture and limitation on working hours in recent years. Many surgeons who trained prior to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) duty-hour restrictions have expressed concern that surgeons currently exiting from training may not have had the same operative experience as in the pre-ACGME era. These concerns are particularly relevant in vascular surgery with the prevalence of endovascular therapies reducing the exposure of trainees to more traditional open vascular operations. Simulation has been used in many non-medical fields for technical skill acquisition prior to real-life performance and in recent years has been identified as a useful tool in surgical training. This article highlights the growing need for open vascular simulation as exposure to complex open vascular operations diminishes. The culture of, 'see one, do one, teach one' is fast becoming replaced by 'do many on a simulator, attain competency then perform under supervision in the operating room'. This will only be successfully achieved by the widespread incorporation of open vascular simulation into current vascular training programs if work hours remain limited and endovascular modalities continue to replace traditional open operations.
Vascular 19(4):175-7. · 0.89 Impact Factor
