186,214 research outputs found
Systemic inflammation index as useful tool to predict arteriovenous graft stenosis: Our experience and literature review
No full textObjective: Many studies show that settings of severe inflammatory stress might be responsible for changes in circulating blood cells count. Effective inflammation indices are created calculating the quantitative relationship between these cells. No previous studies have been proposed on hemodialysis patients exploring the association between arteriovenous graft (AVG) stenosis and systemic inflammation markers, such as Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and systemic-immune-inflammation index (SII). Methods: Patients undergone surgery for AVG creation in a 2-year period are examined. Examining their full blood count, we have established the value of inflammatory indices (NLR, PLR, SII) and we have compared their mean values in patients who have developed significant stenosis or not. Finally, we have considered the connection between those values and stenosis onset and recurrence in AVG. Results: Fifty-two patients are included in the study [male: 40%, mean age 70 ± 15 years (range 55–86)]. We have found out there is not statistical significance in preoperative values of inflammatory index (NLR p 0.33, PLR p 0.15, SII p 0.98) Otherwise NLR and SII indices were statistically significant 3 months after surgery (NLR 2.04 ± 0.98 vs 3.91 ± 2.10, p < 0.001; SII 415.32 ± 255.15 vs 636.91 ± 349.01, p 0.014). Conclusions: Increased post-operative values of NLR and SII have proved a strong association with AVG outflow stenosis onset and recurrence
Results of open conversion with full endograft explantation after failed EVAR
No full textBACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to analyze open conversion (OC) after failed endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) and to identify predictors of postoperative mortality. METHODS: It is a single-center, retrospective, observational cohort study of the patients treated between January 1, 1997, and April 30, 2021. Post-hoc analysis recruited only patients who underwent OC with full endograft (EG) explantation because of failed EVAR. Specifically for this study, primary endpoint of interest was early (<30 days) mortality. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients 27 out of 1051 (2.6%) underwent OC were identified. There were 24 (88.9%) males and 3 females: median age at the time of OCwas 72 years (IQR: 67-79). Open conversion was performed after a median interval of 11 months (IQR: 0-62) from initial EVAR. Eleven (40.7%) patients were operated on urgently (rupture, N.=8). Overall, 30-day mortality rate was 25.9% (N.=7). Binary logistic regression analysis confirmed that rupture at admission was predictive of 30-day mortality (OR=14, 95% CI: 1.8-109.9, P=0.011). The mean follow-up of survivors was 38 months (range: 1-151): overall estimated survival rate was 79±0.8% at 12 months (95% CI: 59.3-89.4), 70±0.9% at 36 months (95% CI: 51.5-84.2), and 63±1% at 60 months (95% CI: 41.3-80). CONCLUSIONS: In our experience, a non-negligible rate of patients requiring OCafter failed EVARpresented with rupture which was the only predictor of early mortality
Implanted blood vessel external support device for the treatment of distal hypoperfusion ischemic syndrome in arteriovenous fistulas and high-frame-rate Vector Flow quality assessment
No full textIntroduction: Distal hypoperfusion ischemic syndrome (DHIS) is a complication occurring after arteriovenous fistula (AVF) creation. Different surgical alternatives haves been proposed in case of severe DHIS. Aim of the present paper is to present a new technique for DHIS treatment. Material and methods: Between the 1st of January 2021 and the 31st December 2021 all the patients referred to our center for DHIS grade 2–4 were treated with a new surgical technique. It consists of AVF remodeling using an external nitinol support (VasQ®) to reduce the risk of outflow vein enlargement and DHIS recurrence. To better appreciate the hemodynamic effects of the surgery, a new ultrasound technique called high-frame-rate Vector Flow (HiFR-VF) was used. Results: Seven patients (M:F 1:3; mean age 43 ± 12 years, range 29–65) were included in this study. Central line was never necessary, and technical success was 100% at 12 months. The comparison with historical data demonstrated lower recurrence of symptoms in comparison to simple artery-to-vein redo (p 0.50). The HiFR-VF showed flow with limited turbulent characteristics at the anastomosis site. Discussion and conclusion: The new technique proposed demonstrated to be safe and effective for treatment of DHIS, preventing symptoms recurrence. Ultrasound examination and HiFR-VF can be considered a valuable method to evaluate complex flows at the levels of vascular anastomosis
Author-wise bibliometric analysis based on entropy.
No full textAuthor-wise bibliometric analysis based on entropy.</p
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
No full textThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Carbon dioxide automated digital subtraction angiography for endovascular arteriovenous fistulas creation
No full textRecent literature shows how residual renal function (RKF), defined as the urinary clearance of urea and creatinine, is associated with a lower mortality risk in HD patients. The use of non-nephrotoxic contrast media during radiological procedure, may be useful for preservation of RKF in patients with chronic kidney disease not yet in haemodialysis. We describe the case of a 51-year-old male suffering from chronic kidney disease from 2018, due to a right nephrectomy for an adenocarcinoma, who was considered for an endovascular arteriovenous fistula (endoAVF) creation (WavelinQ endoAVF System, Becton Dickinson, Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, US), using Carbon Dioxide as contrast media instead of conventional iodinated ones, with optimal results. CO2 DSA permits to well recognize the patency of target vein, its connection to the perforator vein and finally the endoAVF creation without requiring supplemental iodate contrast medium. We propose, CO2 automated digital subtraction angiography (DSA) as a safer technique that could be substitutive of the standard iodinated ones, in the creation of endo AVF
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
No full textWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Stent migration as complication of endovascular treatment of vascular access stenosis: A systemic review
No full textOutflow vein stenosis is one of the commonest complications of both native and prosthetic vascular access. Together with angioplasty, first-line treatment is stenting. Although it has been described as a uncommon complication, the risk of stent migration should be always considered. We aimed to conduct a systematic review of literature concerning stents migration in vascular access, the possible outcomes and treatments. This study was performed applying Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Searches were conducted in PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and Google scholar databases. Studies selection, data abstraction was done by two different reviewers. We identified 17 studies, comprising 18 cases (M:F 1:1, mean age 56 ± 18 (range 33–88)). All the patients underwent stenting for vascular access outflow stenosis. The commonest type of device reported was self expandible bare-metal stent. Intraoperative evidence of stent migration occurred in six cases at the final quality control, or for intraprocedure dyspnea onset. In two patients it was a incidental diagnosis. In the remaining cases, chest pain or dyspnea were the common delayed presentation symptoms. Even if stent migration is an uncommon event, it is burdened with low mortality and morbidity. Literature provide only few and frequently inadequate data. Stent removal is the treatment of choice when severe symptoms or cardiopulmonary complication are present. Endovascular procedures demonstrated to be an effective and safe alternative, while open surgical treatment is preferred whenever endovascular therapy failed or in selected cases
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
No full textWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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