“In situ” endografting in the treatment of arterial and graft infections

2022 ACC/AHA guideline for the diagnosis and management of aortic disease: A report of the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines

AIM

The "2022 ACC/AHA Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Aortic Disease" provides recommendations to guide clinicians in the diagnosis, genetic evaluation and family screening, medical therapy, endovascular and surgical treatment, and long-term surveillance of patients with aortic disease across its multiple clinical presentation subsets (ie, asymptomatic, stable symptomatic, and acute aortic syndromes).

METHODS

A comprehensive literature search was conducted from January 2021 to April 2021, encompassing studies, reviews, and other evidence conducted on human subjects that were published in English from PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, CINHL Complete, and other selected databases relevant to this guideline. Additional relevant studies, published through June 2022 during the guideline writing process, were also considered by the writing committee, where appropriate.

STRUCTURE

Recommendations from previously published AHA/ACC guidelines on thoracic aortic disease, peripheral artery disease, and bicuspid aortic valve disease have been updated with new evidence to guide clinicians. In addition, new recommendations addressing comprehensive care for patients with aortic disease have been developed. There is added emphasis on the role of shared decision making, especially in the management of patients with aortic disease both before and during pregnancy. The is also an increased emphasis on the importance of institutional interventional volume and multidisciplinary aortic team expertise in the care of patients with aortic disease.

Brazilian Society for Angiology and Vascular Surgery guidelines on abdominal aortic aneurysm

The Brazilian Society of Angiology and Vascular Surgery, through the Guidelines Project, presents new Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Guidelines, on the subject of care for abdominal aortic aneurysm patients. Its development prioritized descriptive guidelines, using the EMBASE, LILACS, and PubMed databases. References include randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and cohort studies. Quality of evidence was evaluated by a pair of coordinators, aided by the RoB 2 Cochrane tool and the Newcastle Ottawa Scale forms. The subjects include juxtarenal aneurysms, infected aneurysms, and new therapeutic techniques, especially endovascular procedures. The current version of the guidelines include important recommendations for the primary topics involving diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up for abdominal aortic aneurysm patients, providing an objective guide for medical practice, based on scientific evidence and widely available throughout Brazil.

Zone 2/3 lesion and emergency repair as potential mortality predictors of TEVAR for thoracic aortic pseudoaneurysm

OBJECTIVE

Thoracic aortic pseudoaneurysm (TAP) is an uncommon but life-threatening condition. The present study aimed to investigate the early and midterm clinical outcome of TAP patients following TEVAR and identify potential mortality predictors.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed a series of 37 eligible patients with TAP admitted to our hospital from July 2010 to July 2020. We explored their baseline, perioperative and follow-up data. Fisher exact test and Kaplan-Meier method were applied for comparing difference between groups.

RESULTS

There were 29 men and 12 women, with the mean age as 59.5 ± 13.0 years (range 30-82). The mean follow-up period was 30.7 ± 28.3 months (range 1-89). For early outcome (≤ 30 days), mortality happened in 3 (8.1%) zone 3 TAP patients versus 0 in zone 4 (p = 0.028); postoperative acute arterial embolism of lower extremity and type II endoleak respectively occurred in 1(2.7%) case. For midterm outcome, survival at 3 months, 1 year and 5 years was 88.8%, 75.9% and 68.3%, which showed significant difference between zone 2/3 versus zone 4 group (56.3% vs. 72.9%, p = 0.013) and emergent versus elective TEVAR group (0.0% versus 80.1%, p = 0.049). Previous stent grafting or esophageal foreign body with Aortoesophageal fistula (AEF), and systemic vasculitis, as etiologies, resulted in encouraging immediate outcome but worse midterm prognosis.

CONCLUSION

TAP lesions at zone 2/3 and emergent TEVAR predict worse midterm outcomes compared to zone 4 lesions and elective TEVAR. The outcomes are also mainly restricted by the etiology of the TAP.

AGGF1 therapy inhibits thoracic aortic aneurysms by enhancing integrin α7-mediated inhibition of TGF-β1 maturation and ERK1/2 signaling

Thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) is a localized or diffuse dilatation of the thoracic aortas, and causes many sudden deaths each year worldwide. However, there is no effective pharmacologic therapy. Here, we show that AGGF1 effectively blocks TAA-associated arterial inflammation and remodeling in three different mouse models (mice with transverse aortic constriction, Fbn1^C1041G/+ mice, and β-aminopropionitrile-treated mice). AGGF1 expression is reduced in the ascending aortas from the three models and human TAA patients. Aggf1^+/- mice and vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC)-specific Aggf1^smcKO knockout mice show aggravated TAA phenotypes. Mechanistically, AGGF1 enhances the interaction between its receptor integrin α7 and latency-associated peptide (LAP)-TGF-β1, blocks the cleavage of LAP-TGF-β1 to form mature TGF-β1, and inhibits Smad2/3 and ERK1/2 phosphorylation in VSMCs. Pirfenidone, a treatment agent for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, inhibits TAA-associated vascular inflammation and remodeling in wild type mice, but not in Aggf1^+/- mice. In conclusion, we identify an innovative AGGF1 protein therapeutic strategy to block TAA-associated vascular inflammation and remodeling, and show that efficacy of TGF-β inhibition therapies require AGGF1.

2022 ACC/AHA Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Aortic Disease: A Report of the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines

AIM

The "2022 ACC/AHA Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Aortic Disease" provides recommendations to guide clinicians in the diagnosis, genetic evaluation and family screening, medical therapy, endovascular and surgical treatment, and long-term surveillance of patients with aortic disease across its multiple clinical presentation subsets (ie, asymptomatic, stable symptomatic, and acute aortic syndromes).

METHODS

A comprehensive literature search was conducted from January 2021 to April 2021, encompassing studies, reviews, and other evidence conducted on human subjects that were published in English from PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, CINHL Complete, and other selected databases relevant to this guideline. Additional relevant studies, published through June 2022 during the guideline writing process, were also considered by the writing committee, where appropriate. Structure: Recommendations from previously published AHA/ACC guidelines on thoracic aortic disease, peripheral artery disease, and bicuspid aortic valve disease have been updated with new evidence to guide clinicians. In addition, new recommendations addressing comprehensive care for patients with aortic disease have been developed. There is added emphasis on the role of shared decision making, especially in the management of patients with aortic disease both before and during pregnancy. The is also an increased emphasis on the importance of institutional interventional volume and multidisciplinary aortic team expertise in the care of patients with aortic disease.

2022 ACC/AHA Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Aortic Disease: A Report of the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines

AIM

The "2022 ACC/AHA Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Aortic Disease" provides recommendations to guide clinicians in the diagnosis, genetic evaluation and family screening, medical therapy, endovascular and surgical treatment, and long-term surveillance of patients with aortic disease across its multiple clinical presentation subsets (ie, asymptomatic, stable symptomatic, and acute aortic syndromes).

METHODS

A comprehensive literature search was conducted from January 2021 to April 2021, encompassing studies, reviews, and other evidence conducted on human subjects that were published in English from PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, CINHL Complete, and other selected databases relevant to this guideline. Additional relevant studies, published through June 2022 during the guideline writing process, were also considered by the writing committee, where appropriate.

STRUCTURE

Recommendations from previously published AHA/ACC guidelines on thoracic aortic disease, peripheral artery disease, and bicuspid aortic valve disease have been updated with new evidence to guide clinicians. In addition, new recommendations addressing comprehensive care for patients with aortic disease have been developed. There is added emphasis on the role of shared decision making, especially in the management of patients with aortic disease both before and during pregnancy. The is also an increased emphasis on the importance of institutional interventional volume and multidisciplinary aortic team expertise in the care of patients with aortic disease.

Surgical strategy for treating mycotic aneurysms of thoracic and abdominal aorta and iliac artery: analysis of long-term follow-up data

Mycotic aneurysms of the aorta and iliac arteries are rare, but life-threatening conditions. We reviewed our experience to determine the best surgical strategy. Between 2007 and 2015, we operated 14 patients with mycotic aneurysms of the aortic arch (n  =  6), descending aorta (n  =  1), thoracoabdominal aorta (n  =  2), abdominal aorta (n  =  4), and iliac artery (n  =  1). The mean age was 70.4  ±  8.8 years, and 10 males were included. Blood culture, tissue culture, or both were positive in 11 patients. Four of five patients with mycotic aneurysms of the abdominal aorta and iliac artery underwent extra-anatomical bypass. Ten underwent in-situ graft replacement for managing mycotic aneurysms of the thoracic aorta. One patient with a mycotic thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm underwent visceral bypass of the descending aorta and extra-anatomical bypass. Omental pedicle grafting was performed in 10 patients. The mean follow-up period was 8.6  ±  3.1 years. Three patients (21.4%) died. Recurrent infection was observed in one patient with a mycotic aneurysm of iliac artery three months after the initial surgery. The patient underwent extra-anatomical bypass with omental pedicle grafting as a redo. Nine patients were discharged, and no recurrence of infection was observed. Two patients died of cancer and heart failure. The five- and seven-year survival rates were 100% ± 0.0% and 85.7% ± 13.2%, respectively. A combination of radical debridement of the infectious source and omental pedicle grafting with either in-situ graft replacement or extra-anatomical bypass is an effective strategy.

Ascending aorta thoracic endovascular aortic repair for infected pseudoaneurysm

A 70-year-old woman with a bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement for aortic valve endocarditis complicated by recurrent endocarditis and requiring homograft aortic root replacement 10 years earlier had presented at 1 month after her admission for pseudomonal bacteremia with right-sided chest pain. An aortic pseudoaneurysm, identified on computed tomography, was treated with an ascending aorta thoracic endovascular aortic repair using two overlapping abdominal aortic stent grafts in the ascending aorta. Postoperative and follow-up imaging demonstrated exclusion of the pseudoaneurysm with stable positioning of the stent grafts. Ascending aorta thoracic endovascular aortic repair can be performed safely with good short-term results in patients presenting with infected pseudoaneurysms of the ascending aorta.

[Bypass grafting in patients with infected vascular grafts]

Analysed herein are the results of treating a total of 17 patients presenting with pathology of the aorta and lower-limb arteries, who from 2010 to 2018 required redo interventions due to infection of a previously implanted synthetic vascular graft. At admission, 3 patients were diagnosed as having an open infected wound, 11 were found to have a fistula, 2 had a false aneurysm in the area of the distal anastomosis of the branch of the bifurcation aortofemoral prosthesis, and 1 had thrombosis of the branch of the prosthesis with evidence of infection. As redo surgery, 4 patients underwent subclavian-femoral bypass grafting, 2 were subjected to crossover iliac-femoral bypass grafting, 8 to unilateral iliac-femoral bypass grafting, 3 to loop endarterectomy. In the majority of cases (14 of the 17) we used bypass grafting with creation of the tunnel through the muscular lacuna. Lethal outcomes were registered in 35% (n=6) of cases in the early postoperative period. Death was caused by acute renal failure in 6% (n=1), by acute mesenteric thrombosis in 12% (n=2), by gastrointestinal haemorrhage in 6% (n=1), and by multiple organ failure in 12% (n=2). Long-term mortality amounted to 33% (n=3) within 12 months. The main causes of death were increasing renal failure in 10% (n=1) and cardiovascular insufficiency on the background of heart diseases in 10% (n=1), as well as respiratory insufficiency in 10% (n=1). Reinfection in the remote period was diagnosed in 1 patient. A conclusion was drawn that bypass grafting is traumatic, however, it may be the only way to save the limb or patient's life in a complicated clinical situation. Using the superficial femoral vein as a shunt demonstrated good long-term results as to patency and resistance to surgical infection. Using a flap of the greater omentum, retroperitoneal fat, as well as wrapping of the prosthesis with a muscular flap ensured good tolerance of the zone of bypass grafting to reinfection.

Long-term outcome of endovascular aortic repair for mycotic abdominal aortic aneurysm

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of endovascular treatment for mycotic abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) with long-term follow-up time period.

METHODS

Patients with mycotic AAA treated with endovascular aortic repair between January 2009 and December 2017 were included in this study. The preoperative and long-term outcomes during follow-up were reviewed and analysed.

RESULTS

Sixteen patients (12 males and four females with a mean age of 57.6 ± 14.1 years) were included in this study. The technical success rate was 100%. There were no preoperative mortalities, and one instance of deep venous thrombosis during hospitalization was recorded. The median follow-up time period was 41.2 (interquartile range 24.8-69.7) months, and the late mortality rate was 12.5%. Three (18.8%) patients presented with reinfection during follow-up. One patient presented with abdominal abscess and recurrent juxtarenal aortic aneurysm at 40 months post-operatively, and he received hybrid surgery and abdominal debridement and drainage. One patient developed staphylococcal bloodstream sepsis at 3 months post-operatively and the other patient developed Salmonella bloodstream sepsis at 9 months post-operatively. Pathogenic bacteria were consistent with the previous results. They both recovered after 2 months of intravenous antibiotic treatment. At present, all three patients are still alive without endograft infection and receiving outpatient follow-up. The aneurysm diameter decreased by more than 5 mm among five patients and remained stable in 10 patients at 1 year post-operatively.

CONCLUSION

Endovascular aortic repair is a feasible and effective method of treating mycotic AAA with an acceptable reinfection rate from our single-centre experience.

Infection-relapse and a potentially surgical stratification model for the treatment of mycotic aortic aneurysms: A propensity-matched pilot study

Objective

This study evaluates the overall survival and the infection-relapse after endovascular repair (Endo) vs. open surgery (Open) for mycotic aortic aneurysms and the potential influence of perioperative severity of infection to the decision-making on the long-term survival.

Design

A multicenter, retrospective analysis of 5247 consecutive aortic aneurysm repair performed from January 2003 to December 2017 at five tertiary medical centers was conducted. Among the study population, 257 patients with mycotic aortic aneurysms s were identified. Methods: Finally, 73 patients were enrolled in the cohort after exclusion and a 1:1 propensity-matched analysis. The study cohort drawn from matched data included 37 patients in the Endo group and 36 patients in the Open group. The primary endpoint was overall survival. Secondary endpoints included infection-relapse during the follow-up. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to assess predictors for late mortality.

Results

The mean follow-up time for the entire cohort was 41 months (range, 1 to 135 months). Among propensity-matched patients, there was no significant difference in baseline characteristics. There was no difference in overall survival ( P = 0.083) between the groups at five years, but Open group was associated with a lower infection-relapse incidence during the follow-up ( P = 0.011). Subgroup analysis revealed a better survival rate for Open in patients with severe infection ( P = 0.003) or small periaortic abscess ( P = 0.049).

Conclusion

There were no significant differences between Endo and Open in overall survival. However, Open was a more definite option with less infection-relapse and had potential advantages for patients with severe infection or with a small periaortic abscess.

Open surgery and endovascular repair for mycotic aortic aneurysms: Benefits beyond survival

OBJECTIVE

Endovascular techniques have been increasingly used to treat mycotic aortic aneurysms. However, apart from survival, the potential benefits of open surgery and endovascular repair for mycotic aortic aneurysms are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the short- and mid-term outcomes after open surgery versus endovascular repair for mycotic aortic aneurysms.

METHODS

All patients treated for mycotic aortic aneurysms at Peking University People's Hospital between 2001 and 2017 were identified. Survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank tests. The reoperation rate was analyzed using a competing-risk analysis.

RESULTS

Forty-three patients were identified. The mean follow-up time was 41 months (median, 29; range, 1-135 months). The 30-day mortality in the open surgery group was 8.7% (2/23) versus 5% (1/20) in the endovascular repair group (P = .999). The overall survival for open surgery and endovascular repair was 78% versus 75%, respectively, at 1 year, and 69% versus 41% (P = .210), respectively, at 5 years. But during the follow-up, the open surgery group demonstrated multiple benefits, including a shorter length of hospital stay (26.80 ± 14.1 days vs 42.73 ± 21.22 days, P = .026), fewer readmissions (mean 0.61 vs 1.30, P = .037), and lower infection-related reoperations (P = .018) than endovascular repair at 3 years. Subgroup analysis revealed better survival for open surgery in patients with a periaortic mass less than 20 mm (P = .03).

CONCLUSIONS

There were no significant differences between endovascular repair and open surgery in survival. However, in the mid-term, the potential benefits of open surgery are favorable compared with endovascular repair, including lower infection-related reoperation rates and reduced medical burden.

Hybrid Repair of an Innominate Artery Mycotic Aneurysm with an "On-The-Table" Customized Endograft

BACKGROUND

The objective of this report is to present a challenging case of a mycotic aneurysm of the innominate artery (IA) in a patient with a bovine aortic arch.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An 85-year-old woman presented with intermittent fever and positive blood cultures for Staphylococcus aureus. An echocardiogram and a positron emission tomography-computed tomography were performed, showing a hypermetabolic dilation of the IA compatible with a mycotic aneurysm with a type one bovine aortic arch. Conventional open arch repair and total endovascular repair with a custom-made aortic endograft were rejected given the elderly age and need for urgent repair. Treatment was achieved with a hybrid procedure, including a left carotid transposition and exclusion of the aneurysm with a modified Endurant II^® iliac limb (two stents were cut off and it was resheathed in an inverted fashion) released through a prosthetic graft sutured onto the right axillary artery, followed by coil embolization of the sac. One year after the repair, the patient is well with complete exclusion of the aneurysm.

CONCLUSIONS

Under the need for urgent repair, "on-the-table" modification of standard endograft components can be an effective solution for aneurysm exclusion when off-the-shelf endovascular stent grafts do not meet the anatomical requirements.

Post-operative Infection of Prosthetic Materials or Stents Involving the Supra-aortic Trunks: A Comprehensive Review

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this paper was to provide recommendations for diagnosis and management in the setting of infection following open or endovascular reconstructions of the supra-aortic trunks.

METHODS

A review of the Medline database was performed from 1997 to 2017 by a combined strategy of MeSh terms.

RESULTS

The literature search identified 49 publications: 36 studies addressing prosthetic material infections and 13 studies addressing stent infections. A total of 140 cases of prosthetic material infections were reported, mostly involving carotid patches. Surgical treatment was mostly based on complete removal of the infected material followed by in situ arterial reconstruction (86 cases, 62.3%). Peri-operative complications included cranial nerve injury in 17 cases (12.5%), stroke in eight (6.7%), bleeding in four (2.9%), re-infection in five (3.6%), and cardiac failure in three cases (2.2%). Stent infections were reported in 12 patients: eight carotid stents, three subclavian stents and one tandem brachiocephalic subclavian stent. Treatment was not described for one case, was conservative in one case, consisted of stent removal with venous reconstruction in six cases, stent removal without reconstruction because of carotid thrombosis in two cases, and carotid embolisation in two cases. Complications included intra-operative death in one case (9.1%), stroke in two (18.2%), reinfection in one (9.1%), bleeding in one (9.1%), and cardiac failure in one case (9.1%).

CONCLUSION

Appropriate pre-operative imaging is mandatory and treatment modality should be determined by patient condition. Complete removal of the infected material, followed by in situ arterial reconstruction with venous material seems advisable, despite high morbidity. However, alternative strategies may be considered for fragile and high risk patients. A multidisciplinary approach is mandatory to ensure optimum results.

Contemporary Strategies in the Management of Civilian Abdominal Vascular Trauma

The evaluation and management of patients with abdominal vascular trauma or injury requires immediate and effective decision-making in these unfavorable circumstances. The majority of these patients arrive at trauma centers in profound shock, secondary to massive blood loss, which is often unrelenting. Moreover, ischemia, compartment syndrome, thrombosis, and embolization may also be life threatening and require immediate intervention. To minimize the risk of these potentially lethal complications, early understanding of the disease process and emergent therapeutic intervention are necessary. In the literature, the management of acute traumatic vascular injuries is restricted to traditional open surgical techniques. However, in penetrating injuries surgeons often face a potentially contaminated field, which renders the placement of prosthetic grafts inappropriate. Currently, however, there are sparse data on the management of vascular trauma with endovascular techniques. The role of endovascular technique in penetrating abdominal vascular trauma, which is almost always associated with severe active bleeding, is limited. It is worth mentioning that hybrid operating rooms with angiographic radiology capabilities offer more opportunities for the management of this kind of injuries by either temporary control of the devastating bleeding using endovascular balloon tamponade or with embolization and stenting. On the other hand, blunt abdominal injuries are less dangerous and they could be treated at most times by endovascular means. Since surgeons continue to encounter abdominal vascular trauma, open and endovascular techniques will evolve constantly giving us encouraging messages for the near future.

Non-curative surgery for aortoenteric fistula

Graft infection with secondary aortic fistula is a rare complication following implantation of aortic prostheses, frequently occurring after emergency procedures and reoperations. The condition is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. Curative treatment consists of explantation of the infected graft followed by fistula revision and implantation of a new graft in combination with antimicrobial therapy. Non-curative treatment with aortic stentgraft and long-term substitution treatment with antibiotics may be an option in cases where graft explantation is deemed too risky. We present an elderly patient with aortoenteric fistula following surgery for ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. Implantation of an aortic stentgraft and fistula revision was performed but the original aortic prosthesis was not explanted. The aortoenteric fistula recurred twice, but the patient has survived more than 12 years following non-curative surgery with good quality of life.