Publications

OBJECTIVE: Open surgical repair of juxtarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) requires an aortic cross clamp location above at least one renal artery. This study investigated the impact of clamp location on peri-operative outcomes using a United States based nationwide clinical registry.

METHODS: The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program targetted vascular module was used to identify all elective open juxtarenal AAA repairs (2011-2017). Outcomes were compared between clamping above one vs. above both renal arteries, and above one or both renal arteries vs. supracoeliac clamping. The primary outcome was 30 day mortality and secondary outcomes included post-operative renal dysfunction (creatinine increase ≥ 177 μmol/L or new dialysis) and unplanned re-operations. Multivariable logistic regression models were constructed to perform risk adjusted analyses.

RESULTS: A total of 615 repairs were identified, with a clamp location above one renal artery in 42%, above both renal arteries in 40%, and supracoeliac in 18% of cases. Procedures with a clamp location above one vs. above both renal arteries showed no difference in mortality (3.5% vs. 2.1%, p = .34) or renal dysfunction (6.9% vs. 4.9%, p = .34). In contrast, supracoeliac clamping compared with clamping above one or both renal arteries was associated with a higher mortality rate (8.0% vs. 2.8%, p = .023), renal dysfunction (12% vs. 6.0%, p = .017), and unplanned re-operations (24% vs. 10%, p < .001). In the multivariable adjusted models, outcomes were similar between clamping above both vs. above one renal artery, while supracoeliac clamping vs. clamping above one or both renal arteries was associated with higher mortality (odds ratio [OR]: 3.4; 95% CI: 1.3-8.8; p = .013) and unplanned re-operation (OR: 2.4; 95% CI: 1.4-4.1; p = .002).

CONCLUSION: Although there is no difference between clamping above one vs. both renal arteries during open juxtarenal AAA repair, a supracoeliac clamp location is associated with worse peri-operative outcomes. Surgeons should avoid supracoeliac clamping when clamping above one or both renal arteries is technically possible.

BACKGROUND: The impact of sex in the management of carotid disease is unclear in the current literature. Therefore, we evaluated the effect of sex on perioperative outcomes following carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and carotid artery stenting (CAS).

METHODS: We included patients who underwent CEA or CAS between 2012 and 2017 in the Vascular Quality Initiative database. Our primary outcome was perioperative stroke/death. Secondary outcomes were in-hospital stroke, 30-day mortality, and in-hospital MI. We compared perioperative outcomes between female and male patients, stratified by treatment modality and symptom status, and used multivariable regression to account for differences in baseline characteristics.

RESULTS: A total of 83,436 patients underwent either a CEA (71,383) or CAS (12,053). Asymptomatic and symptomatic CEA females were less likely to be on a preoperative antiplatelet agent, when compared to males. Females overall, were less likely to be on a preoperative statin and more likely to have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Within the CAS cohort, females were more likely to have a previous ipsilateral CEA. There were no differences between males and females in major adverse events following CEA for asymptomatic disease. Following CEA for symptomatic disease, there was no difference in stroke/death rate or in-hospital stroke. However, females experienced a higher 30-mortality after adjustment (univariate: 1.0% vs 0.7%, P = .04; adjusted: odds ratio [OR], 1.4:1.02-1.94). Following CAS for asymptomatic disease, females experienced a higher rate of perioperative stroke/death (2.9% vs 1.9% P = .02; OR, 1.5: 1.05-2.03) and in-hospital stroke (2.1% vs 1.2% P = .01; OR, 1.8: 1.20-2.60). There were no differences in outcomes for symptomatic females vs males undergoing CAS.

CONCLUSIONS: Females with carotid disease less frequently receive optimal medical treatment with antiplatelet agents and statins. This is an important target area for quality improvement issue in both females and males. Furthermore, among symptomatic CEA patients the female sex is associated with higher mortality and among asymptomatic CAS patients, females experience higher rates of stroke/death. These findings suggest that careful patient selection is necessary in the treatment of female patients. Quality improvement projects should be created to further investigate and eliminate the disparities of optimal medical management between the sexes.