In January, the most read stories from Vascular Specialist include a U.S. Aortic Research Consortium analysis of F/BEVAR preoperative risk factors in AAAs/TAAAs; a reflection on lessons learnt one year on from BEST-CLI; Southern Vascular’s election of its first female president and more.
1. The utility of renal stenting in hemodialysis patients: One in five found to come off dialysis after being stented
A fifth of patients among a chronic kidney disease (CKD) cohort on hemodialysis—a rare subset pulled from a large repository of national data—were able to come off the treatment following renal artery stenting, a team of researchers from the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas has found.
2. University of Pittsburgh awards $100,000 grant to SVS member for AI-based healthcare project
Last October, the University Pittsburgh’s Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute hosted its 10th Pitt Innovation Challenge (PinCh), providing a total of $550,000 in prizes, with the top-three winners each receiving a $100,000 grand prize. PinCh 2023 announced that SVS member Nathan Liang, MD, and his co-founders Timothy Chung, PhD, and David Vorp, PhD, were awarded $100,000 for developing Aneurisk, an artificial intelligence (AI)-based tool designed to assess the risk and prognosis of patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs), who share an update on their progress since winning.
3. U.S. Aortic Research Consortium maps out F/BEVAR preoperative risk factors for one-year mortality in complex AAAs, TAAAs
A series of preoperative risk factors—including currently smoking, chronic kidney disease (CKD), congestive heart failure (CHF), aneurysm size greater than 7cm, more advanced age (75 or over), Crawford extent I–III thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAAs), known chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and anemia at baseline—were found to be predictive of one-year mortality among patients undergoing fenestrated and branched endovascular aneurysm repair (F/BEVAR) for complex AAAs and TAAAs with custom-made devices.
4. BEST-CLI: A year down the road
A dedicated session at the 2023 VEITHsymposium (Nov. 14–18) in New York City aimed to unpack the ways in which clinical practice and attitudes in the field of chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) have changed since the BEST-CLI trial was published back in November 2022. The trial’s principal investigators (PIs)—Boston-based vascular surgeons Alik Farber, MD, and Matthew Menard, MD, and interventional cardiologist Kenneth Rosenfield, MD, also of Boston—share their thoughts and highlight some unanswered questions.
5. First procedures announced in study of novel peripheral IVL system
FastWave Medical has announced the successful completion of enrollment for its first-in-human (FIH) study with the company’s peripheral intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) technology. The prospective, single-arm study aims to assess the safety and performance of FastWave’s IVL system in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) of the superficial femoral or popliteal arteries with moderate to severe calcium.
6. Southern Vascular elects first woman president-elect
The Southern Association for Vascular Surgery (SAVS) elected Margaret (Megan) Tracci, MD, to become its first ever woman president for the 2025–26 cycle.
Tracci, a professor of surgery at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, will serve as SAVS president-elect during 2024–25. Tracci is a past president of the Virginia Vascular Society.
7. Gore receives FDA approval for breakthrough endovascular device in complex aortic aneurysms
Gore has announced Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the Gore Excluder thoracoabdominal branch endoprosthesis (TAMBE), which the company states is the first off-the-shelf endovascular solution for the treatment of complex aneurysmal disease involving the visceral aorta.
8. International collaboration unveils updated PAD guidelines in diabetic foot ulcers
The International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF), the European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS) and the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) have jointly released updated guidelines for the diagnosis, prognosis and management of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in individuals with diabetes mellitus and a foot ulcer.
9. Coding: Increasing complexity and lost RVUs—a drop in the ocean?
A vascular surgery team at Audie L. Murphy VA Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, uncovers “staggeringly low” numbers of correctly coded billing for three commonly performed vascular procedures, raising concerns over cases with more complex coding.
10. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services grants Transitional Pass-Through payment for Endologix’s Detour system
Endologix recently announced that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has granted a Transitional Pass-Through (TPT) payment for the Detour system, effective since 1 January 2024.
