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Catch all the action at the VEITHsymposium
The VEITHsymposium, held yearly in New York City, is a world-class meeting that covers the full range of vascular surgery and treatment. Frontline Medical Communications on behalf of our publication, Vascular Specialist, will be there to cover the newest and the best in devices, drugs, and surgical treatments for arterial and venous disease and the biological systems they impact.
Check out this video and get a flavor of what we will be covering live once the meeting starts. And be sure follow our continuing coverage next week at on our website and @VascularTweets. Also, check out our in depth reporting from the meeting afterward in the upcoming pages of Vascular Specialist.
The VEITHsymposium, held yearly in New York City, is a world-class meeting that covers the full range of vascular surgery and treatment. Frontline Medical Communications on behalf of our publication, Vascular Specialist, will be there to cover the newest and the best in devices, drugs, and surgical treatments for arterial and venous disease and the biological systems they impact.
Check out this video and get a flavor of what we will be covering live once the meeting starts. And be sure follow our continuing coverage next week at on our website and @VascularTweets. Also, check out our in depth reporting from the meeting afterward in the upcoming pages of Vascular Specialist.
The VEITHsymposium, held yearly in New York City, is a world-class meeting that covers the full range of vascular surgery and treatment. Frontline Medical Communications on behalf of our publication, Vascular Specialist, will be there to cover the newest and the best in devices, drugs, and surgical treatments for arterial and venous disease and the biological systems they impact.
Check out this video and get a flavor of what we will be covering live once the meeting starts. And be sure follow our continuing coverage next week at on our website and @VascularTweets. Also, check out our in depth reporting from the meeting afterward in the upcoming pages of Vascular Specialist.
Online Conference Library Available
For 44 years, the latest pharmacologic, radiologic, surgical, and endovascular techniques and technologies have been presented at the VEITHsymposium, along with discussions of when these treatments are indicated. Updates on clinical trials and opportunities for dialogue with experts in the field provide insight along with the latest results of the various treatment modalities.
This information is packed into a single meeting with as many short presentations as possible - some of them concurrent. Access has been facilitated by providing electronically archived material, including talks, slides, and panels after the meeting.
To avoid the conundrum of having to choose between concurrent sessions, meeting attendees can access them through this year’s online library, which can be found at www.veithondemand.com. For individuals unable to attend the meeting, the online library is CME accredited so that they may receive credit for their educational viewing experience.
VEITHsymposium has partnered with Edge Creek Media, Inc. to digitally capture the presentations from this year’s event and make them available online for cross-platform and mobile device viewing. Each webcast presentation will be produced with synchronous presenter audio, and slide content to reproduce the presentations.
The online library will contain over 1,200 webcast presentations and will include presentations from approximately 600 expert speakers. This library will recreate the remarkable educational experience of attending in person. It will also provide an invaluable resource of ongoing vascular information.
Edge Creek Media is a specialized multimedia production company that offers custom live event recording and webcast streaming solutions. Other core services include mobile app development, live event production, audio/video post production, and multimedia web development.
For more information, visit www.edgecreekmedia.com or contact the company at info@edgecreekmedia.com. ■
For 44 years, the latest pharmacologic, radiologic, surgical, and endovascular techniques and technologies have been presented at the VEITHsymposium, along with discussions of when these treatments are indicated. Updates on clinical trials and opportunities for dialogue with experts in the field provide insight along with the latest results of the various treatment modalities.
This information is packed into a single meeting with as many short presentations as possible - some of them concurrent. Access has been facilitated by providing electronically archived material, including talks, slides, and panels after the meeting.
To avoid the conundrum of having to choose between concurrent sessions, meeting attendees can access them through this year’s online library, which can be found at www.veithondemand.com. For individuals unable to attend the meeting, the online library is CME accredited so that they may receive credit for their educational viewing experience.
VEITHsymposium has partnered with Edge Creek Media, Inc. to digitally capture the presentations from this year’s event and make them available online for cross-platform and mobile device viewing. Each webcast presentation will be produced with synchronous presenter audio, and slide content to reproduce the presentations.
The online library will contain over 1,200 webcast presentations and will include presentations from approximately 600 expert speakers. This library will recreate the remarkable educational experience of attending in person. It will also provide an invaluable resource of ongoing vascular information.
Edge Creek Media is a specialized multimedia production company that offers custom live event recording and webcast streaming solutions. Other core services include mobile app development, live event production, audio/video post production, and multimedia web development.
For more information, visit www.edgecreekmedia.com or contact the company at info@edgecreekmedia.com. ■
For 44 years, the latest pharmacologic, radiologic, surgical, and endovascular techniques and technologies have been presented at the VEITHsymposium, along with discussions of when these treatments are indicated. Updates on clinical trials and opportunities for dialogue with experts in the field provide insight along with the latest results of the various treatment modalities.
This information is packed into a single meeting with as many short presentations as possible - some of them concurrent. Access has been facilitated by providing electronically archived material, including talks, slides, and panels after the meeting.
To avoid the conundrum of having to choose between concurrent sessions, meeting attendees can access them through this year’s online library, which can be found at www.veithondemand.com. For individuals unable to attend the meeting, the online library is CME accredited so that they may receive credit for their educational viewing experience.
VEITHsymposium has partnered with Edge Creek Media, Inc. to digitally capture the presentations from this year’s event and make them available online for cross-platform and mobile device viewing. Each webcast presentation will be produced with synchronous presenter audio, and slide content to reproduce the presentations.
The online library will contain over 1,200 webcast presentations and will include presentations from approximately 600 expert speakers. This library will recreate the remarkable educational experience of attending in person. It will also provide an invaluable resource of ongoing vascular information.
Edge Creek Media is a specialized multimedia production company that offers custom live event recording and webcast streaming solutions. Other core services include mobile app development, live event production, audio/video post production, and multimedia web development.
For more information, visit www.edgecreekmedia.com or contact the company at info@edgecreekmedia.com. ■
Day-Long Program to Provide Comprehensive Overview of Hemodialysis Issues
Optimizing care of dialysis patients will be the focus of a comprehensive program with five sessions, “New Developments in Vascular Access for Hemodialysis,” taking place all day Saturday.
“Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has become an epidemic in the United States. Medicare spending for patients with CKD ages 65 and older exceeded $50 billion in 2013 and represented 20% of all Medicare spending for this age group. This epidemic has been driven by the rise in diabetes, hypertension and obesity and has resulted in a staggering increase in the number of patients requiring hemodialysis,” stated program organizer Dr. Larry A. Scher, professor of clinical surgery at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and attending surgeon at Montefiore Medical Center.
“Providing functioning vascular access for these patients has become a significant challenge for vascular surgeons, transplant surgeons, interventional nephrologists, and interventional radiologists along with nephrologists, nurses, dialysis technicians, and others interested in optimizing the care of dialysis patients,” he continued. “These practitioners are the target audience for this program, which will address many important topics in hemodialysis access.”
There will be five sessions covering issues in the field, optimization of outcomes, political, economic and legal topics, new technologies and concepts, and updates on clinical challenges.
The first sessions will cover important issues in the field and outcome optimization. Experts will address topics such as fistula maturation, use of ultrasound for access planning and cannulation, importance of dialysis maturation, significance of dialysis blood flow, and the use of stent grafts and drug-eluting balloons. Other talks will address cognitive function in patients with chronic kidney disease, measuring cardiac output in the dialysis improve patient safety, review of significant contributions to the literature, and an update on the mission of Kidney Health International.
“We are honored to have Harald C. Ott, MD, principal investigator at the Ott Laboratory for Organ Engineering and Regeneration at Massachusetts General Hospital as our guest speaker,” said Dr. Scher. “There is a critical shortage of kidneys available for transplantation, and Dr. Ott has performed important research on reengineered organs.” His presentation will be on the revolution in renal replacement therapy, specifically the current status of the bio-artificial kidney.
“The talk should be of great interest to medical professionals interested in improving care for our patients with end-stage renal disease,” said Dr. Scher. Other session talks will discuss Medicare costs for patients on hemodialysis, changes in reimbursement for outpatient procedures, and training of vascular access surgeons.
“The segment on new technologies and concepts will present updated results of several important clinical trials, including efforts aimed at improving fistula maturation with elastase, sirolimus, and the VasQ device,” explained Dr. Scher. Results will be presented of trials of minimally invasive technologies for creating hemodialysis access. Also covered will be a unique sensor capable of providing remote monitoring of AV fistulas and grafts, as well as the RADAR technique, which emphasizes the importance of hemodynamics in arteriovenous fistula maturation.
“The final session will delve into clinical issues in hemodialysis access,” said Dr. Scher. “There will be several talks about achieving successful access in challenging patient populations including obese, elderly and hypercoagulable patients, as well as patients with implantable cardiac devices.” Subject areas will include the role of biologic grafts in hemodialysis access and management of dialysis access complications, including steal syndrome, high flow fistula, central venous stenosis, aneurysms, and infection.
“We have assembled an expert faculty that will offer a comprehensive overview of a wide-range of topics of interest to physicians and allied professionals who care for patients with end-stage renal disease,” said Dr. Scher. “Panel discussions will further enhance the program, allowing attendees to not only interact with faculty, but also discuss topics of interest and concern to their clinical practices.” ■
Optimizing care of dialysis patients will be the focus of a comprehensive program with five sessions, “New Developments in Vascular Access for Hemodialysis,” taking place all day Saturday.
“Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has become an epidemic in the United States. Medicare spending for patients with CKD ages 65 and older exceeded $50 billion in 2013 and represented 20% of all Medicare spending for this age group. This epidemic has been driven by the rise in diabetes, hypertension and obesity and has resulted in a staggering increase in the number of patients requiring hemodialysis,” stated program organizer Dr. Larry A. Scher, professor of clinical surgery at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and attending surgeon at Montefiore Medical Center.
“Providing functioning vascular access for these patients has become a significant challenge for vascular surgeons, transplant surgeons, interventional nephrologists, and interventional radiologists along with nephrologists, nurses, dialysis technicians, and others interested in optimizing the care of dialysis patients,” he continued. “These practitioners are the target audience for this program, which will address many important topics in hemodialysis access.”
There will be five sessions covering issues in the field, optimization of outcomes, political, economic and legal topics, new technologies and concepts, and updates on clinical challenges.
The first sessions will cover important issues in the field and outcome optimization. Experts will address topics such as fistula maturation, use of ultrasound for access planning and cannulation, importance of dialysis maturation, significance of dialysis blood flow, and the use of stent grafts and drug-eluting balloons. Other talks will address cognitive function in patients with chronic kidney disease, measuring cardiac output in the dialysis improve patient safety, review of significant contributions to the literature, and an update on the mission of Kidney Health International.
“We are honored to have Harald C. Ott, MD, principal investigator at the Ott Laboratory for Organ Engineering and Regeneration at Massachusetts General Hospital as our guest speaker,” said Dr. Scher. “There is a critical shortage of kidneys available for transplantation, and Dr. Ott has performed important research on reengineered organs.” His presentation will be on the revolution in renal replacement therapy, specifically the current status of the bio-artificial kidney.
“The talk should be of great interest to medical professionals interested in improving care for our patients with end-stage renal disease,” said Dr. Scher. Other session talks will discuss Medicare costs for patients on hemodialysis, changes in reimbursement for outpatient procedures, and training of vascular access surgeons.
“The segment on new technologies and concepts will present updated results of several important clinical trials, including efforts aimed at improving fistula maturation with elastase, sirolimus, and the VasQ device,” explained Dr. Scher. Results will be presented of trials of minimally invasive technologies for creating hemodialysis access. Also covered will be a unique sensor capable of providing remote monitoring of AV fistulas and grafts, as well as the RADAR technique, which emphasizes the importance of hemodynamics in arteriovenous fistula maturation.
“The final session will delve into clinical issues in hemodialysis access,” said Dr. Scher. “There will be several talks about achieving successful access in challenging patient populations including obese, elderly and hypercoagulable patients, as well as patients with implantable cardiac devices.” Subject areas will include the role of biologic grafts in hemodialysis access and management of dialysis access complications, including steal syndrome, high flow fistula, central venous stenosis, aneurysms, and infection.
“We have assembled an expert faculty that will offer a comprehensive overview of a wide-range of topics of interest to physicians and allied professionals who care for patients with end-stage renal disease,” said Dr. Scher. “Panel discussions will further enhance the program, allowing attendees to not only interact with faculty, but also discuss topics of interest and concern to their clinical practices.” ■
Optimizing care of dialysis patients will be the focus of a comprehensive program with five sessions, “New Developments in Vascular Access for Hemodialysis,” taking place all day Saturday.
“Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has become an epidemic in the United States. Medicare spending for patients with CKD ages 65 and older exceeded $50 billion in 2013 and represented 20% of all Medicare spending for this age group. This epidemic has been driven by the rise in diabetes, hypertension and obesity and has resulted in a staggering increase in the number of patients requiring hemodialysis,” stated program organizer Dr. Larry A. Scher, professor of clinical surgery at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and attending surgeon at Montefiore Medical Center.
“Providing functioning vascular access for these patients has become a significant challenge for vascular surgeons, transplant surgeons, interventional nephrologists, and interventional radiologists along with nephrologists, nurses, dialysis technicians, and others interested in optimizing the care of dialysis patients,” he continued. “These practitioners are the target audience for this program, which will address many important topics in hemodialysis access.”
There will be five sessions covering issues in the field, optimization of outcomes, political, economic and legal topics, new technologies and concepts, and updates on clinical challenges.
The first sessions will cover important issues in the field and outcome optimization. Experts will address topics such as fistula maturation, use of ultrasound for access planning and cannulation, importance of dialysis maturation, significance of dialysis blood flow, and the use of stent grafts and drug-eluting balloons. Other talks will address cognitive function in patients with chronic kidney disease, measuring cardiac output in the dialysis improve patient safety, review of significant contributions to the literature, and an update on the mission of Kidney Health International.
“We are honored to have Harald C. Ott, MD, principal investigator at the Ott Laboratory for Organ Engineering and Regeneration at Massachusetts General Hospital as our guest speaker,” said Dr. Scher. “There is a critical shortage of kidneys available for transplantation, and Dr. Ott has performed important research on reengineered organs.” His presentation will be on the revolution in renal replacement therapy, specifically the current status of the bio-artificial kidney.
“The talk should be of great interest to medical professionals interested in improving care for our patients with end-stage renal disease,” said Dr. Scher. Other session talks will discuss Medicare costs for patients on hemodialysis, changes in reimbursement for outpatient procedures, and training of vascular access surgeons.
“The segment on new technologies and concepts will present updated results of several important clinical trials, including efforts aimed at improving fistula maturation with elastase, sirolimus, and the VasQ device,” explained Dr. Scher. Results will be presented of trials of minimally invasive technologies for creating hemodialysis access. Also covered will be a unique sensor capable of providing remote monitoring of AV fistulas and grafts, as well as the RADAR technique, which emphasizes the importance of hemodynamics in arteriovenous fistula maturation.
“The final session will delve into clinical issues in hemodialysis access,” said Dr. Scher. “There will be several talks about achieving successful access in challenging patient populations including obese, elderly and hypercoagulable patients, as well as patients with implantable cardiac devices.” Subject areas will include the role of biologic grafts in hemodialysis access and management of dialysis access complications, including steal syndrome, high flow fistula, central venous stenosis, aneurysms, and infection.
“We have assembled an expert faculty that will offer a comprehensive overview of a wide-range of topics of interest to physicians and allied professionals who care for patients with end-stage renal disease,” said Dr. Scher. “Panel discussions will further enhance the program, allowing attendees to not only interact with faculty, but also discuss topics of interest and concern to their clinical practices.” ■
Special Focus on Management of Superficial Vein Thrombosis
The options for treatment and management of superficial vein thrombosis will be the focus of “Venous Imaging, Thrombophilia” on Saturday morning.
“This session will include talks on management of superficial vein thrombosis using direct oral anticoagulants, balancing anticoagulation with bleeding risk after surgery, and predicting patients at risk of post-thrombotic syndrome,” said Dr. Ian J. Franklin of the Imperial College and London Vascular Clinic. Dr. Franklin is co-moderator of the second half of the morning session. “There is much variation in practice in these areas, which will be addressed during the presentations,” he said.
“We have a fairly decent grasp regarding the optimal management of some aspects of venous disease,” added co-moderator Dr. Timothy K. Liem, professor of surgery at Oregon Health & Science University and codirector for quality at the Knight Cardiovascular Institute. “For example, in patients with proximal deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, the vast majority of clinicians would administer therapeutic anticoagulation for at least 3 months. However, when it comes to other very common venous problems and scenarios, such as superficial vein thrombosis (with or without the presence of venous reflux), there are still significant knowledge gaps with regard to optimal care. The same goes for perioperative management of anticoagulation and prevention of post-thrombotic syndrome,” he continued. “This has led to significant variability in the ways patients are treated. Attendees will learn more about these issues and ways to better manage their patients.”
Dr. Franklin and Dr. Liem will each be making several presentations.
“Trial evidence is consistent in showing that risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with superficial vein thrombosis is reduced significantly by prolonged treatment with anticoagulants, but the number needed to prevent one VTE episode is more than 80,” explained Dr. Franklin. “This presents problems relating to cost and clinical effectiveness, which will be discussed in the session.” In one talk, Dr. Franklin will be discussing the grading of severity of venous thrombophlebitis and variation of treatment between primary and secondary care. He will also be covering treatment options: anticoagulation, compression, and follow-up.
Dr. Liem will be highlighting anticoagulation issues, looking at the use of direct oral anticoagulants in one talk and management of anticoagulation to avoid postoperative hemorrhage in another. “The presentations will allow attendees who specialize in venous disease to understand when to anticoagulate and when to administer compression for patients with superficial vein thrombosis,” he stated. “It will also allow these physicians to better identify patients who are at increased risk of developing post-thrombotic syndrome.” In addition, he noted, “we hope to provide a better understanding regarding optimal strategies for managing coagulation that minimize the risk of postoperative hemorrhage while reducing the risk for recurrent thromboembolism during surgery or other invasive procedures.”
Dr. Tomasz Urbanek of the Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland, will present the final talk on the predictive factors of post-thrombotic syndrome. When asked how the session might influence the practices of those in attendance, Dr. Franklin replied, “Hopefully, it will result in more rational use of anticoagulation treatment for patients with superficial vein thrombosis, better use of direct oral anticoagulants as a treatment option, and safer surgery on anticoagulated patients.”
Dr. Liem concluded, “These sessions will have the goal of helping clinicians standardize as much of our care as possible.” Dr. Franklin added, “The take-home message is better risk stratification may help rationalize treatment.” ■
The options for treatment and management of superficial vein thrombosis will be the focus of “Venous Imaging, Thrombophilia” on Saturday morning.
“This session will include talks on management of superficial vein thrombosis using direct oral anticoagulants, balancing anticoagulation with bleeding risk after surgery, and predicting patients at risk of post-thrombotic syndrome,” said Dr. Ian J. Franklin of the Imperial College and London Vascular Clinic. Dr. Franklin is co-moderator of the second half of the morning session. “There is much variation in practice in these areas, which will be addressed during the presentations,” he said.
“We have a fairly decent grasp regarding the optimal management of some aspects of venous disease,” added co-moderator Dr. Timothy K. Liem, professor of surgery at Oregon Health & Science University and codirector for quality at the Knight Cardiovascular Institute. “For example, in patients with proximal deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, the vast majority of clinicians would administer therapeutic anticoagulation for at least 3 months. However, when it comes to other very common venous problems and scenarios, such as superficial vein thrombosis (with or without the presence of venous reflux), there are still significant knowledge gaps with regard to optimal care. The same goes for perioperative management of anticoagulation and prevention of post-thrombotic syndrome,” he continued. “This has led to significant variability in the ways patients are treated. Attendees will learn more about these issues and ways to better manage their patients.”
Dr. Franklin and Dr. Liem will each be making several presentations.
“Trial evidence is consistent in showing that risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with superficial vein thrombosis is reduced significantly by prolonged treatment with anticoagulants, but the number needed to prevent one VTE episode is more than 80,” explained Dr. Franklin. “This presents problems relating to cost and clinical effectiveness, which will be discussed in the session.” In one talk, Dr. Franklin will be discussing the grading of severity of venous thrombophlebitis and variation of treatment between primary and secondary care. He will also be covering treatment options: anticoagulation, compression, and follow-up.
Dr. Liem will be highlighting anticoagulation issues, looking at the use of direct oral anticoagulants in one talk and management of anticoagulation to avoid postoperative hemorrhage in another. “The presentations will allow attendees who specialize in venous disease to understand when to anticoagulate and when to administer compression for patients with superficial vein thrombosis,” he stated. “It will also allow these physicians to better identify patients who are at increased risk of developing post-thrombotic syndrome.” In addition, he noted, “we hope to provide a better understanding regarding optimal strategies for managing coagulation that minimize the risk of postoperative hemorrhage while reducing the risk for recurrent thromboembolism during surgery or other invasive procedures.”
Dr. Tomasz Urbanek of the Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland, will present the final talk on the predictive factors of post-thrombotic syndrome. When asked how the session might influence the practices of those in attendance, Dr. Franklin replied, “Hopefully, it will result in more rational use of anticoagulation treatment for patients with superficial vein thrombosis, better use of direct oral anticoagulants as a treatment option, and safer surgery on anticoagulated patients.”
Dr. Liem concluded, “These sessions will have the goal of helping clinicians standardize as much of our care as possible.” Dr. Franklin added, “The take-home message is better risk stratification may help rationalize treatment.” ■
The options for treatment and management of superficial vein thrombosis will be the focus of “Venous Imaging, Thrombophilia” on Saturday morning.
“This session will include talks on management of superficial vein thrombosis using direct oral anticoagulants, balancing anticoagulation with bleeding risk after surgery, and predicting patients at risk of post-thrombotic syndrome,” said Dr. Ian J. Franklin of the Imperial College and London Vascular Clinic. Dr. Franklin is co-moderator of the second half of the morning session. “There is much variation in practice in these areas, which will be addressed during the presentations,” he said.
“We have a fairly decent grasp regarding the optimal management of some aspects of venous disease,” added co-moderator Dr. Timothy K. Liem, professor of surgery at Oregon Health & Science University and codirector for quality at the Knight Cardiovascular Institute. “For example, in patients with proximal deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, the vast majority of clinicians would administer therapeutic anticoagulation for at least 3 months. However, when it comes to other very common venous problems and scenarios, such as superficial vein thrombosis (with or without the presence of venous reflux), there are still significant knowledge gaps with regard to optimal care. The same goes for perioperative management of anticoagulation and prevention of post-thrombotic syndrome,” he continued. “This has led to significant variability in the ways patients are treated. Attendees will learn more about these issues and ways to better manage their patients.”
Dr. Franklin and Dr. Liem will each be making several presentations.
“Trial evidence is consistent in showing that risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with superficial vein thrombosis is reduced significantly by prolonged treatment with anticoagulants, but the number needed to prevent one VTE episode is more than 80,” explained Dr. Franklin. “This presents problems relating to cost and clinical effectiveness, which will be discussed in the session.” In one talk, Dr. Franklin will be discussing the grading of severity of venous thrombophlebitis and variation of treatment between primary and secondary care. He will also be covering treatment options: anticoagulation, compression, and follow-up.
Dr. Liem will be highlighting anticoagulation issues, looking at the use of direct oral anticoagulants in one talk and management of anticoagulation to avoid postoperative hemorrhage in another. “The presentations will allow attendees who specialize in venous disease to understand when to anticoagulate and when to administer compression for patients with superficial vein thrombosis,” he stated. “It will also allow these physicians to better identify patients who are at increased risk of developing post-thrombotic syndrome.” In addition, he noted, “we hope to provide a better understanding regarding optimal strategies for managing coagulation that minimize the risk of postoperative hemorrhage while reducing the risk for recurrent thromboembolism during surgery or other invasive procedures.”
Dr. Tomasz Urbanek of the Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland, will present the final talk on the predictive factors of post-thrombotic syndrome. When asked how the session might influence the practices of those in attendance, Dr. Franklin replied, “Hopefully, it will result in more rational use of anticoagulation treatment for patients with superficial vein thrombosis, better use of direct oral anticoagulants as a treatment option, and safer surgery on anticoagulated patients.”
Dr. Liem concluded, “These sessions will have the goal of helping clinicians standardize as much of our care as possible.” Dr. Franklin added, “The take-home message is better risk stratification may help rationalize treatment.” ■
Session Spotlights Infection in Aneurysms, Grafts, and Endografts
The ongoing discussion over the optimal management of infection in aneurysms and grafts takes center stage in the session, “New Developments in the Treatment of Infected Aneurysms, Prosthetic Arterial Grafts, and Aortic Endografts,” on Friday morning. The session includes two debates: one on mycotic abdominal aortic aneurysms and what to do about them, and the other on the optimal techniques for handling infected aortic grafts and endografts.
“The management of infected aortic grafts is challenging and controversial,” according to Dr. Keith Calligaro, co-moderator of the session. Different aspects of treatment will be discussed, said Dr. Calligaro, chief of the section of vascular surgery and endovascular therapy at Pennsylvania Hospital, and clinical professor of surgery, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
“Vascular surgeons’ practices will be influenced because of the difficult nature of treating these complicated cases, including total graft excision and partial or complete graft preservation,” said Dr. Calligaro.
The session begins with a presentation suggesting a change in practice, “With Mycotic AAAs There Has Been a Paradigm Shift in Treatment: A Propensity Matched Multicenter Study Shows That EVAR Is Better than Open Repair as a Durable or Bridge Treatment,” by Dr. Anders Wanhainen, professor of surgery at Uppsala University. Dr. Wanhainen is followed by Dr. Manju Kalra, professor, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, speaking on “Intraabdominal Extra-Anatomic Bypass for Para- Or Supra-Renal Aortic Infections: Techniques and Results.” Dr. Fred A. Weaver, professor of surgery, Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, then delves into the role of endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) for mycotic AAAs.
Next, then the session gears up for a debate, with Dr. Boonprasit Kritpracha, instructor and vascular surgeon, Prince of Songkla University in Thailand, taking the side of “EVAR Should Be the First Choice in Treating Mycotic AAAs: Based on a 10-Year Experience.” Dr. Kritpracha is followed by session co-moderator Dr. Thomas C. Bower, professor of surgery, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, who takes the view, “Not So: Why Open Repair Should Be the First Choice in Treating Most Mycotic AAAs.”
A talk on the neoaortoiliac system (NAIS) procedure for the treatment of the infected aortic graft, “Technical Tips for Facilitating Deep Vein Grafts for Aortoiliac Arterial and Graft Infections,” by Dr. James H. Black, III, The David Goldfarb, MD Associate Professor of Surgery, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, completes the first half of the session.
The next part of the session focuses on arterial graft and endograft infections. Dr. Max Zegelman, professor of surgery at JWG-University Frankfurt, begins with a review of new techniques for the in situ repair of infected prosthetic arterial grafts and the impact of negative pressure wound therapy.
The presentations are followed by a second debate on the topic of removal vs. saving of infected aortic grafts and endografts. Dr. Colin D. Bicknell, clinical senior lecturer, Imperial College, takes the side of “Definitive Excisional Graft Removal Is a Must for All Infected Aortic Grafts and Endografts,” while co-moderator Dr. Calligaro takes the side of “Not So: More Conservative Graft Saving May Sometimes Be the Best Treatment for infected Aortic Grafts and Endografts if Certain Technical Steps and Adjuncts Are Used.”
“The take-home message is that, in general, total graft excision of infected intracavitary prosthetic and endovascular aortic grafts is recommended, but the surgeon needs to be aware that in certain cases, partial or complete graft preservation may be a better option,” Dr. Calligaro said.
The session continues with more on the topic of treating infected endografts. Dr. Kamphol Laohapensang, professor of vascular surgery, Chiang Mai University Hospital in Thailand, will focus on treating infected endografts after EVAR and under what circumstances endografts are effective for treating mycotic AAAs.
The ongoing discussion over the optimal management of infection in aneurysms and grafts takes center stage in the session, “New Developments in the Treatment of Infected Aneurysms, Prosthetic Arterial Grafts, and Aortic Endografts,” on Friday morning. The session includes two debates: one on mycotic abdominal aortic aneurysms and what to do about them, and the other on the optimal techniques for handling infected aortic grafts and endografts.
“The management of infected aortic grafts is challenging and controversial,” according to Dr. Keith Calligaro, co-moderator of the session. Different aspects of treatment will be discussed, said Dr. Calligaro, chief of the section of vascular surgery and endovascular therapy at Pennsylvania Hospital, and clinical professor of surgery, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
“Vascular surgeons’ practices will be influenced because of the difficult nature of treating these complicated cases, including total graft excision and partial or complete graft preservation,” said Dr. Calligaro.
The session begins with a presentation suggesting a change in practice, “With Mycotic AAAs There Has Been a Paradigm Shift in Treatment: A Propensity Matched Multicenter Study Shows That EVAR Is Better than Open Repair as a Durable or Bridge Treatment,” by Dr. Anders Wanhainen, professor of surgery at Uppsala University. Dr. Wanhainen is followed by Dr. Manju Kalra, professor, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, speaking on “Intraabdominal Extra-Anatomic Bypass for Para- Or Supra-Renal Aortic Infections: Techniques and Results.” Dr. Fred A. Weaver, professor of surgery, Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, then delves into the role of endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) for mycotic AAAs.
Next, then the session gears up for a debate, with Dr. Boonprasit Kritpracha, instructor and vascular surgeon, Prince of Songkla University in Thailand, taking the side of “EVAR Should Be the First Choice in Treating Mycotic AAAs: Based on a 10-Year Experience.” Dr. Kritpracha is followed by session co-moderator Dr. Thomas C. Bower, professor of surgery, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, who takes the view, “Not So: Why Open Repair Should Be the First Choice in Treating Most Mycotic AAAs.”
A talk on the neoaortoiliac system (NAIS) procedure for the treatment of the infected aortic graft, “Technical Tips for Facilitating Deep Vein Grafts for Aortoiliac Arterial and Graft Infections,” by Dr. James H. Black, III, The David Goldfarb, MD Associate Professor of Surgery, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, completes the first half of the session.
The next part of the session focuses on arterial graft and endograft infections. Dr. Max Zegelman, professor of surgery at JWG-University Frankfurt, begins with a review of new techniques for the in situ repair of infected prosthetic arterial grafts and the impact of negative pressure wound therapy.
The presentations are followed by a second debate on the topic of removal vs. saving of infected aortic grafts and endografts. Dr. Colin D. Bicknell, clinical senior lecturer, Imperial College, takes the side of “Definitive Excisional Graft Removal Is a Must for All Infected Aortic Grafts and Endografts,” while co-moderator Dr. Calligaro takes the side of “Not So: More Conservative Graft Saving May Sometimes Be the Best Treatment for infected Aortic Grafts and Endografts if Certain Technical Steps and Adjuncts Are Used.”
“The take-home message is that, in general, total graft excision of infected intracavitary prosthetic and endovascular aortic grafts is recommended, but the surgeon needs to be aware that in certain cases, partial or complete graft preservation may be a better option,” Dr. Calligaro said.
The session continues with more on the topic of treating infected endografts. Dr. Kamphol Laohapensang, professor of vascular surgery, Chiang Mai University Hospital in Thailand, will focus on treating infected endografts after EVAR and under what circumstances endografts are effective for treating mycotic AAAs.
The ongoing discussion over the optimal management of infection in aneurysms and grafts takes center stage in the session, “New Developments in the Treatment of Infected Aneurysms, Prosthetic Arterial Grafts, and Aortic Endografts,” on Friday morning. The session includes two debates: one on mycotic abdominal aortic aneurysms and what to do about them, and the other on the optimal techniques for handling infected aortic grafts and endografts.
“The management of infected aortic grafts is challenging and controversial,” according to Dr. Keith Calligaro, co-moderator of the session. Different aspects of treatment will be discussed, said Dr. Calligaro, chief of the section of vascular surgery and endovascular therapy at Pennsylvania Hospital, and clinical professor of surgery, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
“Vascular surgeons’ practices will be influenced because of the difficult nature of treating these complicated cases, including total graft excision and partial or complete graft preservation,” said Dr. Calligaro.
The session begins with a presentation suggesting a change in practice, “With Mycotic AAAs There Has Been a Paradigm Shift in Treatment: A Propensity Matched Multicenter Study Shows That EVAR Is Better than Open Repair as a Durable or Bridge Treatment,” by Dr. Anders Wanhainen, professor of surgery at Uppsala University. Dr. Wanhainen is followed by Dr. Manju Kalra, professor, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, speaking on “Intraabdominal Extra-Anatomic Bypass for Para- Or Supra-Renal Aortic Infections: Techniques and Results.” Dr. Fred A. Weaver, professor of surgery, Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, then delves into the role of endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) for mycotic AAAs.
Next, then the session gears up for a debate, with Dr. Boonprasit Kritpracha, instructor and vascular surgeon, Prince of Songkla University in Thailand, taking the side of “EVAR Should Be the First Choice in Treating Mycotic AAAs: Based on a 10-Year Experience.” Dr. Kritpracha is followed by session co-moderator Dr. Thomas C. Bower, professor of surgery, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, who takes the view, “Not So: Why Open Repair Should Be the First Choice in Treating Most Mycotic AAAs.”
A talk on the neoaortoiliac system (NAIS) procedure for the treatment of the infected aortic graft, “Technical Tips for Facilitating Deep Vein Grafts for Aortoiliac Arterial and Graft Infections,” by Dr. James H. Black, III, The David Goldfarb, MD Associate Professor of Surgery, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, completes the first half of the session.
The next part of the session focuses on arterial graft and endograft infections. Dr. Max Zegelman, professor of surgery at JWG-University Frankfurt, begins with a review of new techniques for the in situ repair of infected prosthetic arterial grafts and the impact of negative pressure wound therapy.
The presentations are followed by a second debate on the topic of removal vs. saving of infected aortic grafts and endografts. Dr. Colin D. Bicknell, clinical senior lecturer, Imperial College, takes the side of “Definitive Excisional Graft Removal Is a Must for All Infected Aortic Grafts and Endografts,” while co-moderator Dr. Calligaro takes the side of “Not So: More Conservative Graft Saving May Sometimes Be the Best Treatment for infected Aortic Grafts and Endografts if Certain Technical Steps and Adjuncts Are Used.”
“The take-home message is that, in general, total graft excision of infected intracavitary prosthetic and endovascular aortic grafts is recommended, but the surgeon needs to be aware that in certain cases, partial or complete graft preservation may be a better option,” Dr. Calligaro said.
The session continues with more on the topic of treating infected endografts. Dr. Kamphol Laohapensang, professor of vascular surgery, Chiang Mai University Hospital in Thailand, will focus on treating infected endografts after EVAR and under what circumstances endografts are effective for treating mycotic AAAs.
Progress in Vascular Disease Treatments: Hype vs. Reality
Today we are witnessing unprecedented rapid development and dissemination of new scientific information regarding vascular diseases, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for busy practitioners to keep up with the avalanche of information, according to Dr. Bruce A. Perler.
To help practitioners differentiate the hype from reality, the “Progress in the Medical Treatments of Vascular Disease; Vascular Diseases and Risk Prediction” session on Friday will bring together internationally respected experts in the field. These faculty will present “the latest and most important advances in the perioperative and long-term medical management of our patients in a succinct and easily digestible fashion,” said Dr. Perler of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who will co-moderate the session with Dr. Caron B. Rockman of New York University School of Medicine.
“Vascular surgeons are the only true comprehensive specialists treating circulatory disease who provide the entire spectrum of therapeutic options: endovascular therapy, conventional open surgery, and medical treatment of patients. In the current rapidly evolving health care environment, reimbursement will be increasingly linked to quality outcomes rather than procedural volumes. Achieving the best outcomes of our therapeutic procedures, and providing the optimal overall vascular care for our patients, will be absolutely dependent not only upon proper patient selection and preparation for interventions, but also clearly aligned with providing state of the art perioperative and long-term medical management,” Dr. Perler said.
He added that the information presented in this session will afford the practitioner the latest scientifically proven perioperative and long-term therapy to optimize the patient’s circulatory health.
Further, attendees can take what they learn in this session back to their practice to properly counsel patients about their care – and to answer the questions that patients often bring to the office about these drugs and issues that they hear about in the lay press, he said.
Two critically important talks to be included in the session are: “Which Patients Should Receive Primary Prevention Lipid Lowering Statin Therapy: What Drug and Dose: How Do the HOPE 3 Trial Findings Help,” by Jeffrey S. Berger, MD, associate professor of medicine and surgery, NYU School of Medicine, and “How Do PCSK-9 Inhibitors Work: When and How Should They Currently Be Used: Advantages and Limitations,” by Dr. Natalie A. Marks of the NYU Lutheran Medical Center, he said.
“Hardly a month goes by without yet another article appearing in the lay press about statins. Patients are aware of statins, the associated controversies, and now are hearing about PCSK-9 inhibitors. These talks will inform the vascular surgeon about the key issues with respect to statin therapy and this exciting new alternative,” he said.
Among the nine other informative talks to be presented in the session cover important topics such as ACE inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, the use of cilostazol, and troponin texting.
“Achieving the best results of our vascular surgical procedures requires more than doing the right procedure on the right patient at the right time,” Dr. Perler said. “It also requires managing the patient’s medical and perioperative care compulsively. Keeping abreast of the latest developments, highlighted in this session, will not only optimize your patients’ care, but provide a competitive practice advantage for the contemporary vascular surgeon.”
Today we are witnessing unprecedented rapid development and dissemination of new scientific information regarding vascular diseases, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for busy practitioners to keep up with the avalanche of information, according to Dr. Bruce A. Perler.
To help practitioners differentiate the hype from reality, the “Progress in the Medical Treatments of Vascular Disease; Vascular Diseases and Risk Prediction” session on Friday will bring together internationally respected experts in the field. These faculty will present “the latest and most important advances in the perioperative and long-term medical management of our patients in a succinct and easily digestible fashion,” said Dr. Perler of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who will co-moderate the session with Dr. Caron B. Rockman of New York University School of Medicine.
“Vascular surgeons are the only true comprehensive specialists treating circulatory disease who provide the entire spectrum of therapeutic options: endovascular therapy, conventional open surgery, and medical treatment of patients. In the current rapidly evolving health care environment, reimbursement will be increasingly linked to quality outcomes rather than procedural volumes. Achieving the best outcomes of our therapeutic procedures, and providing the optimal overall vascular care for our patients, will be absolutely dependent not only upon proper patient selection and preparation for interventions, but also clearly aligned with providing state of the art perioperative and long-term medical management,” Dr. Perler said.
He added that the information presented in this session will afford the practitioner the latest scientifically proven perioperative and long-term therapy to optimize the patient’s circulatory health.
Further, attendees can take what they learn in this session back to their practice to properly counsel patients about their care – and to answer the questions that patients often bring to the office about these drugs and issues that they hear about in the lay press, he said.
Two critically important talks to be included in the session are: “Which Patients Should Receive Primary Prevention Lipid Lowering Statin Therapy: What Drug and Dose: How Do the HOPE 3 Trial Findings Help,” by Jeffrey S. Berger, MD, associate professor of medicine and surgery, NYU School of Medicine, and “How Do PCSK-9 Inhibitors Work: When and How Should They Currently Be Used: Advantages and Limitations,” by Dr. Natalie A. Marks of the NYU Lutheran Medical Center, he said.
“Hardly a month goes by without yet another article appearing in the lay press about statins. Patients are aware of statins, the associated controversies, and now are hearing about PCSK-9 inhibitors. These talks will inform the vascular surgeon about the key issues with respect to statin therapy and this exciting new alternative,” he said.
Among the nine other informative talks to be presented in the session cover important topics such as ACE inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, the use of cilostazol, and troponin texting.
“Achieving the best results of our vascular surgical procedures requires more than doing the right procedure on the right patient at the right time,” Dr. Perler said. “It also requires managing the patient’s medical and perioperative care compulsively. Keeping abreast of the latest developments, highlighted in this session, will not only optimize your patients’ care, but provide a competitive practice advantage for the contemporary vascular surgeon.”
Today we are witnessing unprecedented rapid development and dissemination of new scientific information regarding vascular diseases, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for busy practitioners to keep up with the avalanche of information, according to Dr. Bruce A. Perler.
To help practitioners differentiate the hype from reality, the “Progress in the Medical Treatments of Vascular Disease; Vascular Diseases and Risk Prediction” session on Friday will bring together internationally respected experts in the field. These faculty will present “the latest and most important advances in the perioperative and long-term medical management of our patients in a succinct and easily digestible fashion,” said Dr. Perler of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who will co-moderate the session with Dr. Caron B. Rockman of New York University School of Medicine.
“Vascular surgeons are the only true comprehensive specialists treating circulatory disease who provide the entire spectrum of therapeutic options: endovascular therapy, conventional open surgery, and medical treatment of patients. In the current rapidly evolving health care environment, reimbursement will be increasingly linked to quality outcomes rather than procedural volumes. Achieving the best outcomes of our therapeutic procedures, and providing the optimal overall vascular care for our patients, will be absolutely dependent not only upon proper patient selection and preparation for interventions, but also clearly aligned with providing state of the art perioperative and long-term medical management,” Dr. Perler said.
He added that the information presented in this session will afford the practitioner the latest scientifically proven perioperative and long-term therapy to optimize the patient’s circulatory health.
Further, attendees can take what they learn in this session back to their practice to properly counsel patients about their care – and to answer the questions that patients often bring to the office about these drugs and issues that they hear about in the lay press, he said.
Two critically important talks to be included in the session are: “Which Patients Should Receive Primary Prevention Lipid Lowering Statin Therapy: What Drug and Dose: How Do the HOPE 3 Trial Findings Help,” by Jeffrey S. Berger, MD, associate professor of medicine and surgery, NYU School of Medicine, and “How Do PCSK-9 Inhibitors Work: When and How Should They Currently Be Used: Advantages and Limitations,” by Dr. Natalie A. Marks of the NYU Lutheran Medical Center, he said.
“Hardly a month goes by without yet another article appearing in the lay press about statins. Patients are aware of statins, the associated controversies, and now are hearing about PCSK-9 inhibitors. These talks will inform the vascular surgeon about the key issues with respect to statin therapy and this exciting new alternative,” he said.
Among the nine other informative talks to be presented in the session cover important topics such as ACE inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, the use of cilostazol, and troponin texting.
“Achieving the best results of our vascular surgical procedures requires more than doing the right procedure on the right patient at the right time,” Dr. Perler said. “It also requires managing the patient’s medical and perioperative care compulsively. Keeping abreast of the latest developments, highlighted in this session, will not only optimize your patients’ care, but provide a competitive practice advantage for the contemporary vascular surgeon.”
Evolution in Management and Treatment of Carotid Artery Disease
“There is a ‘one size fits all’ strategy by a lot of people who simply read a paper or a guideline and say that’s how patients must be treated,” said co-moderator Dr. Ross Naylor, professor of vascular surgery at the University of Leicester and a consultant vascular surgeon at the Leicester Royal Infirmary. “This session will question how you actually treat your patients, so I think it will open people’s eyes toward the benefits of modern medical therapy. It also questions the role of carotid stenting in asymptomatic patients and how to reduce the risks; unless we reduce the risks, it’s going to be less likely to be adopted.”
The session has several themes, he explained. One is the benefit of optimizing best medical therapy: “There are a couple of papers on the role of starting statins before carotid surgery or carotid stenting. There’s now good evidence that if you do this, you will reduce the perioperative risk of stroke, and this needs to be emphasized more in guidelines.”
In addition, Dr. Naylor said, there is increasing evidence that patients who have asymptomatic carotid stenosis, and who are started on good quality medical therapy, have much lower annual risks of stroke than they would 15 to 20 years ago. Presentations by Dr. J. David Spence of Western University and University Hospital in London, Canada, and by Dr. Henrik Sillesen of the University of Copenhagen and Rigshospitalet, will question current attitudes toward intervening in asymptomatic patients. “Their big plea is that the majority can be treated medically,” Dr. Naylor said. “Only a small proportion actually will benefit from stenting and surgery.” Dr. Spence will address the value of Mediterranean and Nordic diets in patients with carotid stenosis, while Dr. Sillesen will examine if stenosis or plaque progression are reasons to treat asymptomatic patients with carotid artery stenting (CAS) versus carotid artery endarterectomy (CEA).
Another theme is looking at efforts to reduce perioperative stroke rates after carotid stenting, Dr. Naylor said: “One of the repeated findings is that the death and stroke rates are lower following carotid surgery rather than carotid stenting. Registries suggest that in a large number of series, stroke rates actually exceed the accepted risks for treating patients with asymptomatic disease, which is 3%, or for symptomatic disease, which is 6%.”
Dr. William A. Gray of Jefferson Medical College and Main Line Health will discuss technical strategies that might be used to reduce perioperative stroke rates, including new techniques and devices such as the double-filter Paladin device. Dr. L. Nelson Hopkins, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Neurosurgery and Radiology, University at Buffalo, will discuss how strokes after CAS and other interventional procedures have greater cognitive deficits than previously thought, even with full neurological recovery.
The discussions will conclude with a presentation by Dr. Mark H. Wholey of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Shady Side, on the etiology, diagnosis and treatment of vertebral artery dissections. “It is so vanishingly rare that we are asked to treat this that almost nobody has any experience,” Dr. Naylor said. “I suspect this will be quite an interesting talk for the audience.”
Co-moderators for the session will be Dr. James May, Emeritus Bosch Professor of Surgery and associated dean of surgical sciences at the University of Sydney, and a vascular surgeon at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital; Dr. Wesley S. Moore, professor and chief emeritus of vascular surgery at UCLA Medical Center; and Dr. Enrico Ascher, chief of vascular surgery at NYU Hospitals, and professor of surgery at New York University.
“There is a ‘one size fits all’ strategy by a lot of people who simply read a paper or a guideline and say that’s how patients must be treated,” said co-moderator Dr. Ross Naylor, professor of vascular surgery at the University of Leicester and a consultant vascular surgeon at the Leicester Royal Infirmary. “This session will question how you actually treat your patients, so I think it will open people’s eyes toward the benefits of modern medical therapy. It also questions the role of carotid stenting in asymptomatic patients and how to reduce the risks; unless we reduce the risks, it’s going to be less likely to be adopted.”
The session has several themes, he explained. One is the benefit of optimizing best medical therapy: “There are a couple of papers on the role of starting statins before carotid surgery or carotid stenting. There’s now good evidence that if you do this, you will reduce the perioperative risk of stroke, and this needs to be emphasized more in guidelines.”
In addition, Dr. Naylor said, there is increasing evidence that patients who have asymptomatic carotid stenosis, and who are started on good quality medical therapy, have much lower annual risks of stroke than they would 15 to 20 years ago. Presentations by Dr. J. David Spence of Western University and University Hospital in London, Canada, and by Dr. Henrik Sillesen of the University of Copenhagen and Rigshospitalet, will question current attitudes toward intervening in asymptomatic patients. “Their big plea is that the majority can be treated medically,” Dr. Naylor said. “Only a small proportion actually will benefit from stenting and surgery.” Dr. Spence will address the value of Mediterranean and Nordic diets in patients with carotid stenosis, while Dr. Sillesen will examine if stenosis or plaque progression are reasons to treat asymptomatic patients with carotid artery stenting (CAS) versus carotid artery endarterectomy (CEA).
Another theme is looking at efforts to reduce perioperative stroke rates after carotid stenting, Dr. Naylor said: “One of the repeated findings is that the death and stroke rates are lower following carotid surgery rather than carotid stenting. Registries suggest that in a large number of series, stroke rates actually exceed the accepted risks for treating patients with asymptomatic disease, which is 3%, or for symptomatic disease, which is 6%.”
Dr. William A. Gray of Jefferson Medical College and Main Line Health will discuss technical strategies that might be used to reduce perioperative stroke rates, including new techniques and devices such as the double-filter Paladin device. Dr. L. Nelson Hopkins, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Neurosurgery and Radiology, University at Buffalo, will discuss how strokes after CAS and other interventional procedures have greater cognitive deficits than previously thought, even with full neurological recovery.
The discussions will conclude with a presentation by Dr. Mark H. Wholey of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Shady Side, on the etiology, diagnosis and treatment of vertebral artery dissections. “It is so vanishingly rare that we are asked to treat this that almost nobody has any experience,” Dr. Naylor said. “I suspect this will be quite an interesting talk for the audience.”
Co-moderators for the session will be Dr. James May, Emeritus Bosch Professor of Surgery and associated dean of surgical sciences at the University of Sydney, and a vascular surgeon at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital; Dr. Wesley S. Moore, professor and chief emeritus of vascular surgery at UCLA Medical Center; and Dr. Enrico Ascher, chief of vascular surgery at NYU Hospitals, and professor of surgery at New York University.
“There is a ‘one size fits all’ strategy by a lot of people who simply read a paper or a guideline and say that’s how patients must be treated,” said co-moderator Dr. Ross Naylor, professor of vascular surgery at the University of Leicester and a consultant vascular surgeon at the Leicester Royal Infirmary. “This session will question how you actually treat your patients, so I think it will open people’s eyes toward the benefits of modern medical therapy. It also questions the role of carotid stenting in asymptomatic patients and how to reduce the risks; unless we reduce the risks, it’s going to be less likely to be adopted.”
The session has several themes, he explained. One is the benefit of optimizing best medical therapy: “There are a couple of papers on the role of starting statins before carotid surgery or carotid stenting. There’s now good evidence that if you do this, you will reduce the perioperative risk of stroke, and this needs to be emphasized more in guidelines.”
In addition, Dr. Naylor said, there is increasing evidence that patients who have asymptomatic carotid stenosis, and who are started on good quality medical therapy, have much lower annual risks of stroke than they would 15 to 20 years ago. Presentations by Dr. J. David Spence of Western University and University Hospital in London, Canada, and by Dr. Henrik Sillesen of the University of Copenhagen and Rigshospitalet, will question current attitudes toward intervening in asymptomatic patients. “Their big plea is that the majority can be treated medically,” Dr. Naylor said. “Only a small proportion actually will benefit from stenting and surgery.” Dr. Spence will address the value of Mediterranean and Nordic diets in patients with carotid stenosis, while Dr. Sillesen will examine if stenosis or plaque progression are reasons to treat asymptomatic patients with carotid artery stenting (CAS) versus carotid artery endarterectomy (CEA).
Another theme is looking at efforts to reduce perioperative stroke rates after carotid stenting, Dr. Naylor said: “One of the repeated findings is that the death and stroke rates are lower following carotid surgery rather than carotid stenting. Registries suggest that in a large number of series, stroke rates actually exceed the accepted risks for treating patients with asymptomatic disease, which is 3%, or for symptomatic disease, which is 6%.”
Dr. William A. Gray of Jefferson Medical College and Main Line Health will discuss technical strategies that might be used to reduce perioperative stroke rates, including new techniques and devices such as the double-filter Paladin device. Dr. L. Nelson Hopkins, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Neurosurgery and Radiology, University at Buffalo, will discuss how strokes after CAS and other interventional procedures have greater cognitive deficits than previously thought, even with full neurological recovery.
The discussions will conclude with a presentation by Dr. Mark H. Wholey of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Shady Side, on the etiology, diagnosis and treatment of vertebral artery dissections. “It is so vanishingly rare that we are asked to treat this that almost nobody has any experience,” Dr. Naylor said. “I suspect this will be quite an interesting talk for the audience.”
Co-moderators for the session will be Dr. James May, Emeritus Bosch Professor of Surgery and associated dean of surgical sciences at the University of Sydney, and a vascular surgeon at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital; Dr. Wesley S. Moore, professor and chief emeritus of vascular surgery at UCLA Medical Center; and Dr. Enrico Ascher, chief of vascular surgery at NYU Hospitals, and professor of surgery at New York University.
Stake Your Claim on a Wonderful Town
New York City is indeed a wonderful town, just as the famous Betty Comden/Adolph Green lyrics proclaim. The metropolis is synonymous with excitement and remains a global destination renowned for its unparalleled variety of things to do and see.
So, in your time before and after the VEITHsymposium sessions, be sure to take in some of the city’s famous museums, go on a shopping spree, enjoy a Broadway show, or simply dine at some of the best restaurants in the world. Whether you are with family or on your own, there is something for everyone in this great city.
For a quick look at current entertainment and dining options, pick up a copy of TimeOut New York or visit www.timeout.com/newyork, where you’ll find current listings for what is playing at theaters off and on Broadway as well as live music, special events, shopping, fine dining, and more.
On Broadway this season, theater lovers will find an even more eclectic choice than usual, from the Tony Award-winning “Dear Evan Hansen,” to the “Hello Dolly” revival with Bette Midler, the Patti LuPone/Christine Ebersole diva-off “War Paint,” and the family-friendly “The Lion King” and “Aladdin.” Some highly popular old-standards, “Cats,” “Miss Saigon,” “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Wicked,” and “Chicago,” are among a host of other choices. And, if you still want to see “Hamilton,” after waiting more than a year, tickets are now available, but range anywhere from $285+ to above $1,000, and that’s without Lin-Manuel Miranda. (Or you can always go and see the off-broadway spoof “Spamilton,” for $69, instead.)
For a more comprehensive listing of Broadway and off-Broadway shows, visit www.Broadway.com.
Sports fans can find a complete online calendar listing of sporting events that are going during the VEITHsymposium at www.nycgo.com/things-to-do/events-in-nyc/sports-calendar. Pick up the New York Knicks basketball team playing the Utah Jazz on Nov. 15 at Madison Square Garden. College basketball will also be featured at the Garden with the 2K Classic Benefiting Wounded Warrior Project on Nov. 16 and 17. The New York Rangers hockey team will be playing Ottawa at the Garden on Nov. 19. Also on the 19th, football fans can catch the New York Giants game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Met Life Stadium.
If you are a classical music enthusiast, you should make time to attend a performance at Lincoln Center (www.lincolncenter.org), which plays host to the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera. During the VEITHsymposium, Puccini’s tragic opera “Madam Butterfly” (the inspiration for “Miss Saigon” and Massenet’s “Thaïs”) will be performed. As an alternative to opera, “The Boss,” Bruce Springsteen, will be performing Nov. 14 at the Walter Kerr Theater. No matter where your music tastes lie, for the most up-to-date accounting of musical performances in the city, pick up a copy of the free weekly newspaper, the Village Voice, or visit it online (www.villagevoice.com).
Many attendees of the VEITHsymposium will want some exercise during the meeting, and a walking tour is a good option. Guided walking tours available include an amble through the historic lower East Side, backstage at the Metropolitan Opera, and Broadway theaters (www.walksofnewyork.com).
The New York food scene is both vast and varied, so to choose your dining from fine to fun, you can visit the venerable New York Times website (www.nytimes.com/reviews/dining) to plan your eating experience by rating, price, neighborhood, and choice of cuisine.
You will find several notable museums and landmarks within a few blocks of the VEITHsymposium. The Museum of Modern Art is the closest to the New York Hilton Midtown, at 11 West 53rd St., between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA houses more than 150,000 paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, architectural models and drawings, and design objects. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is at 1000 Fifth Ave. at 82nd St. The holdings include 2 million works, spanning 5,000 years of art history from around the world from Egyptian mummies to Rembrandts and Picassos. The American Museum of Natural History is on the Upper West Side of Central Park (at 79th St.) and has something for museum goers of all ages: dinosaurs, fossils, stuffed specimens, minerals, gems, and human cultural artifacts.
The memorial at the site of the World Trade Center towers stands witness to a national tragedy and to the spirit of the people of New York. The names of nearly 3,000 men, women, and children killed in the attacks of Feb. 26, 1993, and Sept. 11, 2001, are inscribed on the parapets surrounding the two memorial pools (www.911memorial.org/visit).
In addition to the famous Central Park, don’t overlook the less-noted but no less enjoyable Bryant Park near the Hilton Midtown (between 40th and 42nd Streets and Fifth and Sixth Avenues), which offers an opportunity to do some holiday shopping at the annual Holiday Shops fair. This outdoor European-style market features more than 170 boutiques offering everything from handcrafted items to gourmet treats.
If you’re a first-time visitor, the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island remain the must-see symbols of New York. Be prepared for long lines to get to the top of the Empire State Building (www.esbnyc.com). Dress warmly for the ferry ride from Battery Park (www.statuecruises.com) to the Statue of Liberty.
Above all, while you’re at the VEITHsymposium, be sure that you and your guests enjoy some of the many pleasures that New York has to offer. It truly is a wonderful town.
New York City is indeed a wonderful town, just as the famous Betty Comden/Adolph Green lyrics proclaim. The metropolis is synonymous with excitement and remains a global destination renowned for its unparalleled variety of things to do and see.
So, in your time before and after the VEITHsymposium sessions, be sure to take in some of the city’s famous museums, go on a shopping spree, enjoy a Broadway show, or simply dine at some of the best restaurants in the world. Whether you are with family or on your own, there is something for everyone in this great city.
For a quick look at current entertainment and dining options, pick up a copy of TimeOut New York or visit www.timeout.com/newyork, where you’ll find current listings for what is playing at theaters off and on Broadway as well as live music, special events, shopping, fine dining, and more.
On Broadway this season, theater lovers will find an even more eclectic choice than usual, from the Tony Award-winning “Dear Evan Hansen,” to the “Hello Dolly” revival with Bette Midler, the Patti LuPone/Christine Ebersole diva-off “War Paint,” and the family-friendly “The Lion King” and “Aladdin.” Some highly popular old-standards, “Cats,” “Miss Saigon,” “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Wicked,” and “Chicago,” are among a host of other choices. And, if you still want to see “Hamilton,” after waiting more than a year, tickets are now available, but range anywhere from $285+ to above $1,000, and that’s without Lin-Manuel Miranda. (Or you can always go and see the off-broadway spoof “Spamilton,” for $69, instead.)
For a more comprehensive listing of Broadway and off-Broadway shows, visit www.Broadway.com.
Sports fans can find a complete online calendar listing of sporting events that are going during the VEITHsymposium at www.nycgo.com/things-to-do/events-in-nyc/sports-calendar. Pick up the New York Knicks basketball team playing the Utah Jazz on Nov. 15 at Madison Square Garden. College basketball will also be featured at the Garden with the 2K Classic Benefiting Wounded Warrior Project on Nov. 16 and 17. The New York Rangers hockey team will be playing Ottawa at the Garden on Nov. 19. Also on the 19th, football fans can catch the New York Giants game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Met Life Stadium.
If you are a classical music enthusiast, you should make time to attend a performance at Lincoln Center (www.lincolncenter.org), which plays host to the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera. During the VEITHsymposium, Puccini’s tragic opera “Madam Butterfly” (the inspiration for “Miss Saigon” and Massenet’s “Thaïs”) will be performed. As an alternative to opera, “The Boss,” Bruce Springsteen, will be performing Nov. 14 at the Walter Kerr Theater. No matter where your music tastes lie, for the most up-to-date accounting of musical performances in the city, pick up a copy of the free weekly newspaper, the Village Voice, or visit it online (www.villagevoice.com).
Many attendees of the VEITHsymposium will want some exercise during the meeting, and a walking tour is a good option. Guided walking tours available include an amble through the historic lower East Side, backstage at the Metropolitan Opera, and Broadway theaters (www.walksofnewyork.com).
The New York food scene is both vast and varied, so to choose your dining from fine to fun, you can visit the venerable New York Times website (www.nytimes.com/reviews/dining) to plan your eating experience by rating, price, neighborhood, and choice of cuisine.
You will find several notable museums and landmarks within a few blocks of the VEITHsymposium. The Museum of Modern Art is the closest to the New York Hilton Midtown, at 11 West 53rd St., between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA houses more than 150,000 paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, architectural models and drawings, and design objects. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is at 1000 Fifth Ave. at 82nd St. The holdings include 2 million works, spanning 5,000 years of art history from around the world from Egyptian mummies to Rembrandts and Picassos. The American Museum of Natural History is on the Upper West Side of Central Park (at 79th St.) and has something for museum goers of all ages: dinosaurs, fossils, stuffed specimens, minerals, gems, and human cultural artifacts.
The memorial at the site of the World Trade Center towers stands witness to a national tragedy and to the spirit of the people of New York. The names of nearly 3,000 men, women, and children killed in the attacks of Feb. 26, 1993, and Sept. 11, 2001, are inscribed on the parapets surrounding the two memorial pools (www.911memorial.org/visit).
In addition to the famous Central Park, don’t overlook the less-noted but no less enjoyable Bryant Park near the Hilton Midtown (between 40th and 42nd Streets and Fifth and Sixth Avenues), which offers an opportunity to do some holiday shopping at the annual Holiday Shops fair. This outdoor European-style market features more than 170 boutiques offering everything from handcrafted items to gourmet treats.
If you’re a first-time visitor, the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island remain the must-see symbols of New York. Be prepared for long lines to get to the top of the Empire State Building (www.esbnyc.com). Dress warmly for the ferry ride from Battery Park (www.statuecruises.com) to the Statue of Liberty.
Above all, while you’re at the VEITHsymposium, be sure that you and your guests enjoy some of the many pleasures that New York has to offer. It truly is a wonderful town.
New York City is indeed a wonderful town, just as the famous Betty Comden/Adolph Green lyrics proclaim. The metropolis is synonymous with excitement and remains a global destination renowned for its unparalleled variety of things to do and see.
So, in your time before and after the VEITHsymposium sessions, be sure to take in some of the city’s famous museums, go on a shopping spree, enjoy a Broadway show, or simply dine at some of the best restaurants in the world. Whether you are with family or on your own, there is something for everyone in this great city.
For a quick look at current entertainment and dining options, pick up a copy of TimeOut New York or visit www.timeout.com/newyork, where you’ll find current listings for what is playing at theaters off and on Broadway as well as live music, special events, shopping, fine dining, and more.
On Broadway this season, theater lovers will find an even more eclectic choice than usual, from the Tony Award-winning “Dear Evan Hansen,” to the “Hello Dolly” revival with Bette Midler, the Patti LuPone/Christine Ebersole diva-off “War Paint,” and the family-friendly “The Lion King” and “Aladdin.” Some highly popular old-standards, “Cats,” “Miss Saigon,” “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Wicked,” and “Chicago,” are among a host of other choices. And, if you still want to see “Hamilton,” after waiting more than a year, tickets are now available, but range anywhere from $285+ to above $1,000, and that’s without Lin-Manuel Miranda. (Or you can always go and see the off-broadway spoof “Spamilton,” for $69, instead.)
For a more comprehensive listing of Broadway and off-Broadway shows, visit www.Broadway.com.
Sports fans can find a complete online calendar listing of sporting events that are going during the VEITHsymposium at www.nycgo.com/things-to-do/events-in-nyc/sports-calendar. Pick up the New York Knicks basketball team playing the Utah Jazz on Nov. 15 at Madison Square Garden. College basketball will also be featured at the Garden with the 2K Classic Benefiting Wounded Warrior Project on Nov. 16 and 17. The New York Rangers hockey team will be playing Ottawa at the Garden on Nov. 19. Also on the 19th, football fans can catch the New York Giants game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Met Life Stadium.
If you are a classical music enthusiast, you should make time to attend a performance at Lincoln Center (www.lincolncenter.org), which plays host to the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera. During the VEITHsymposium, Puccini’s tragic opera “Madam Butterfly” (the inspiration for “Miss Saigon” and Massenet’s “Thaïs”) will be performed. As an alternative to opera, “The Boss,” Bruce Springsteen, will be performing Nov. 14 at the Walter Kerr Theater. No matter where your music tastes lie, for the most up-to-date accounting of musical performances in the city, pick up a copy of the free weekly newspaper, the Village Voice, or visit it online (www.villagevoice.com).
Many attendees of the VEITHsymposium will want some exercise during the meeting, and a walking tour is a good option. Guided walking tours available include an amble through the historic lower East Side, backstage at the Metropolitan Opera, and Broadway theaters (www.walksofnewyork.com).
The New York food scene is both vast and varied, so to choose your dining from fine to fun, you can visit the venerable New York Times website (www.nytimes.com/reviews/dining) to plan your eating experience by rating, price, neighborhood, and choice of cuisine.
You will find several notable museums and landmarks within a few blocks of the VEITHsymposium. The Museum of Modern Art is the closest to the New York Hilton Midtown, at 11 West 53rd St., between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA houses more than 150,000 paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, architectural models and drawings, and design objects. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is at 1000 Fifth Ave. at 82nd St. The holdings include 2 million works, spanning 5,000 years of art history from around the world from Egyptian mummies to Rembrandts and Picassos. The American Museum of Natural History is on the Upper West Side of Central Park (at 79th St.) and has something for museum goers of all ages: dinosaurs, fossils, stuffed specimens, minerals, gems, and human cultural artifacts.
The memorial at the site of the World Trade Center towers stands witness to a national tragedy and to the spirit of the people of New York. The names of nearly 3,000 men, women, and children killed in the attacks of Feb. 26, 1993, and Sept. 11, 2001, are inscribed on the parapets surrounding the two memorial pools (www.911memorial.org/visit).
In addition to the famous Central Park, don’t overlook the less-noted but no less enjoyable Bryant Park near the Hilton Midtown (between 40th and 42nd Streets and Fifth and Sixth Avenues), which offers an opportunity to do some holiday shopping at the annual Holiday Shops fair. This outdoor European-style market features more than 170 boutiques offering everything from handcrafted items to gourmet treats.
If you’re a first-time visitor, the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island remain the must-see symbols of New York. Be prepared for long lines to get to the top of the Empire State Building (www.esbnyc.com). Dress warmly for the ferry ride from Battery Park (www.statuecruises.com) to the Statue of Liberty.
Above all, while you’re at the VEITHsymposium, be sure that you and your guests enjoy some of the many pleasures that New York has to offer. It truly is a wonderful town.
Focus on Medical Options for Treatment of Vascular Disease
Medical treatment of vascular disease is the topic of the Wednesday morning session, “Medical Treatments; Lipid Management By Drugs; Heart And Coronary Stent Related Topics.”
“Unfortunately, although vascular surgery can be extremely successful in preserving limbs, the underlying disease process of atherosclerosis still continues unabated, often resulting in significant morbidity and mortality,” said moderator Dr. Russell H. Samson, professor of surgery at Florida State University Medical School and President of Mote Vascular Foundation, Inc. “Although vascular surgeons may not prescribe medications to combat the ravages of this disease, it is important that we are aware of all the advances in medical management such that we can advise patients and their referring physicians,” said Dr. Samson.
The session will be co-moderated by Dr. Karthikeshwar Kasirajan of Alamo, Calif., who will also be presenting on “Value and Limitations of Cannabis (Marijuana) in Vascular Patients: What is the Drug’s Effect on Blood Vessels.” The topic of cannabis is pertinent, Dr. Samson noted, because “marijuana is now becoming widely used both for medical and recreational use and so an awareness of its possible side effects is essential.”
Cardiac risk for for vascular surgery patients will be the focus of two presentations. Dr. Ashraf Mansour of Michigan State University will present “How Does a Cardiology Evaluation Before Major Vascular Surgery Decrease Perioperative Myocardial Infarction Rates” and Dr. Mohammad H. Eslami of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine will discuss including a frailty assessment in the preoperative risk assessment prior to vascular surgery.
“Naturally, cardiac issues also impact practices. There is still considerable variation in how vascular surgeons evaluate cardiac risk prior to major vascular surgery. Dr. Mansour will inform us as to whether any evaluation is actually beneficial,” Dr. Samson added.
Another topic of interest will be the implications of anti-clotting medications for vascular surgery patients. Dr. Samson said, “An especially difficult and controversial area is the management of vascular patients who have been placed on an antiplatelet agent by their cardiologist. For example, many patients will have had a drug-eluting coronary stent inserted with or without antiplatelet agents.” Dr. Caron B. Rockman of New York University School of Medicine will address the guidelines “as to when and if, vascular surgery can be safely performed in such patients,” said Dr. Samson. His talk is titled “Update on When If Ever After a Coronary BMS or DES Can Vascular Surgery Be Safely Performed and How Should Antiplatelet Drugs Be Managed Perioperatively in Coronary Stent Patients.”
Finally, there will be several discussions and two debates addressing the use and value of statins, diet, PCSK-9 inhibitors, lipid level goals, and the safety of statins in vascular patients. Dr. Jeffrey S. Berger, also of New York University School of Medicine, will address the importance of the LDL-cholesterol decreases and what to do for patients who are intolerant of statins. Dr. Peter Henke of the University of Michigan will discuss the impact of PCSK-9 inhibitors, statins, ezetimibe, and diet on LDL cholesterol levels.
Dr. Samson noted, “Recently, data have become available demonstrating profound benefits of LDL lowering especially with some of the new PCSK-9 inhibitor drugs. During the session, information about these drugs and their use will be presented. Currently, they have not been widely adopted because of price concerns, but vascular surgeons should be informed about the potential impact these medications may have on their future practice. Further, although statins have been around for many years, there actual benefit in patients with established peripheral artery disease remains somewhat controversial and, accordingly, is the focus of one of the debates.” The first debate, moderated by Dr. Ron Waksman of Georgetown University Medical Center will focus on the safety and longevity impacts of lower LDL-cholesterol levels with statins and PCSK-9 inhibitors in vascular patients. A second debate, moderated by Dr. Sherif A. H. Sultan of the National University of Irealand, Galway, will dig deeper into the safety and efficacy of statins.
Session 31:
Medical Treatments; Lipid Management by Drugs; Heart and Coronary Stent Related Topics
6:40 a.m – 7:48 p.m.
Grand Ballroom West, 3rd Floor
Medical treatment of vascular disease is the topic of the Wednesday morning session, “Medical Treatments; Lipid Management By Drugs; Heart And Coronary Stent Related Topics.”
“Unfortunately, although vascular surgery can be extremely successful in preserving limbs, the underlying disease process of atherosclerosis still continues unabated, often resulting in significant morbidity and mortality,” said moderator Dr. Russell H. Samson, professor of surgery at Florida State University Medical School and President of Mote Vascular Foundation, Inc. “Although vascular surgeons may not prescribe medications to combat the ravages of this disease, it is important that we are aware of all the advances in medical management such that we can advise patients and their referring physicians,” said Dr. Samson.
The session will be co-moderated by Dr. Karthikeshwar Kasirajan of Alamo, Calif., who will also be presenting on “Value and Limitations of Cannabis (Marijuana) in Vascular Patients: What is the Drug’s Effect on Blood Vessels.” The topic of cannabis is pertinent, Dr. Samson noted, because “marijuana is now becoming widely used both for medical and recreational use and so an awareness of its possible side effects is essential.”
Cardiac risk for for vascular surgery patients will be the focus of two presentations. Dr. Ashraf Mansour of Michigan State University will present “How Does a Cardiology Evaluation Before Major Vascular Surgery Decrease Perioperative Myocardial Infarction Rates” and Dr. Mohammad H. Eslami of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine will discuss including a frailty assessment in the preoperative risk assessment prior to vascular surgery.
“Naturally, cardiac issues also impact practices. There is still considerable variation in how vascular surgeons evaluate cardiac risk prior to major vascular surgery. Dr. Mansour will inform us as to whether any evaluation is actually beneficial,” Dr. Samson added.
Another topic of interest will be the implications of anti-clotting medications for vascular surgery patients. Dr. Samson said, “An especially difficult and controversial area is the management of vascular patients who have been placed on an antiplatelet agent by their cardiologist. For example, many patients will have had a drug-eluting coronary stent inserted with or without antiplatelet agents.” Dr. Caron B. Rockman of New York University School of Medicine will address the guidelines “as to when and if, vascular surgery can be safely performed in such patients,” said Dr. Samson. His talk is titled “Update on When If Ever After a Coronary BMS or DES Can Vascular Surgery Be Safely Performed and How Should Antiplatelet Drugs Be Managed Perioperatively in Coronary Stent Patients.”
Finally, there will be several discussions and two debates addressing the use and value of statins, diet, PCSK-9 inhibitors, lipid level goals, and the safety of statins in vascular patients. Dr. Jeffrey S. Berger, also of New York University School of Medicine, will address the importance of the LDL-cholesterol decreases and what to do for patients who are intolerant of statins. Dr. Peter Henke of the University of Michigan will discuss the impact of PCSK-9 inhibitors, statins, ezetimibe, and diet on LDL cholesterol levels.
Dr. Samson noted, “Recently, data have become available demonstrating profound benefits of LDL lowering especially with some of the new PCSK-9 inhibitor drugs. During the session, information about these drugs and their use will be presented. Currently, they have not been widely adopted because of price concerns, but vascular surgeons should be informed about the potential impact these medications may have on their future practice. Further, although statins have been around for many years, there actual benefit in patients with established peripheral artery disease remains somewhat controversial and, accordingly, is the focus of one of the debates.” The first debate, moderated by Dr. Ron Waksman of Georgetown University Medical Center will focus on the safety and longevity impacts of lower LDL-cholesterol levels with statins and PCSK-9 inhibitors in vascular patients. A second debate, moderated by Dr. Sherif A. H. Sultan of the National University of Irealand, Galway, will dig deeper into the safety and efficacy of statins.
Session 31:
Medical Treatments; Lipid Management by Drugs; Heart and Coronary Stent Related Topics
6:40 a.m – 7:48 p.m.
Grand Ballroom West, 3rd Floor
Medical treatment of vascular disease is the topic of the Wednesday morning session, “Medical Treatments; Lipid Management By Drugs; Heart And Coronary Stent Related Topics.”
“Unfortunately, although vascular surgery can be extremely successful in preserving limbs, the underlying disease process of atherosclerosis still continues unabated, often resulting in significant morbidity and mortality,” said moderator Dr. Russell H. Samson, professor of surgery at Florida State University Medical School and President of Mote Vascular Foundation, Inc. “Although vascular surgeons may not prescribe medications to combat the ravages of this disease, it is important that we are aware of all the advances in medical management such that we can advise patients and their referring physicians,” said Dr. Samson.
The session will be co-moderated by Dr. Karthikeshwar Kasirajan of Alamo, Calif., who will also be presenting on “Value and Limitations of Cannabis (Marijuana) in Vascular Patients: What is the Drug’s Effect on Blood Vessels.” The topic of cannabis is pertinent, Dr. Samson noted, because “marijuana is now becoming widely used both for medical and recreational use and so an awareness of its possible side effects is essential.”
Cardiac risk for for vascular surgery patients will be the focus of two presentations. Dr. Ashraf Mansour of Michigan State University will present “How Does a Cardiology Evaluation Before Major Vascular Surgery Decrease Perioperative Myocardial Infarction Rates” and Dr. Mohammad H. Eslami of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine will discuss including a frailty assessment in the preoperative risk assessment prior to vascular surgery.
“Naturally, cardiac issues also impact practices. There is still considerable variation in how vascular surgeons evaluate cardiac risk prior to major vascular surgery. Dr. Mansour will inform us as to whether any evaluation is actually beneficial,” Dr. Samson added.
Another topic of interest will be the implications of anti-clotting medications for vascular surgery patients. Dr. Samson said, “An especially difficult and controversial area is the management of vascular patients who have been placed on an antiplatelet agent by their cardiologist. For example, many patients will have had a drug-eluting coronary stent inserted with or without antiplatelet agents.” Dr. Caron B. Rockman of New York University School of Medicine will address the guidelines “as to when and if, vascular surgery can be safely performed in such patients,” said Dr. Samson. His talk is titled “Update on When If Ever After a Coronary BMS or DES Can Vascular Surgery Be Safely Performed and How Should Antiplatelet Drugs Be Managed Perioperatively in Coronary Stent Patients.”
Finally, there will be several discussions and two debates addressing the use and value of statins, diet, PCSK-9 inhibitors, lipid level goals, and the safety of statins in vascular patients. Dr. Jeffrey S. Berger, also of New York University School of Medicine, will address the importance of the LDL-cholesterol decreases and what to do for patients who are intolerant of statins. Dr. Peter Henke of the University of Michigan will discuss the impact of PCSK-9 inhibitors, statins, ezetimibe, and diet on LDL cholesterol levels.
Dr. Samson noted, “Recently, data have become available demonstrating profound benefits of LDL lowering especially with some of the new PCSK-9 inhibitor drugs. During the session, information about these drugs and their use will be presented. Currently, they have not been widely adopted because of price concerns, but vascular surgeons should be informed about the potential impact these medications may have on their future practice. Further, although statins have been around for many years, there actual benefit in patients with established peripheral artery disease remains somewhat controversial and, accordingly, is the focus of one of the debates.” The first debate, moderated by Dr. Ron Waksman of Georgetown University Medical Center will focus on the safety and longevity impacts of lower LDL-cholesterol levels with statins and PCSK-9 inhibitors in vascular patients. A second debate, moderated by Dr. Sherif A. H. Sultan of the National University of Irealand, Galway, will dig deeper into the safety and efficacy of statins.
Session 31:
Medical Treatments; Lipid Management by Drugs; Heart and Coronary Stent Related Topics
6:40 a.m – 7:48 p.m.
Grand Ballroom West, 3rd Floor
Popliteal Session to Explore Endovascular vs. Open Treatments
The multitude of problems that vascular surgeons encounter in the popliteal fossa will be the subject of “New Developments in Popliteal Entrapments, Aneurysms and Occlusive Lesions and Their Treatments” on Friday morning.
“As much as any other vascular bed in the body, the popliteal fossa highlights the value of the vascular surgeons’ toolkit, a detailed knowledge of the regional anatomy and the ability to perform open, endo and even non-vascular interventions in the case of popliteal entrapment,” said co-moderator Dr. Cynthia K. Shortell, professor of surgery at Duke University Medical Center.
Co-moderator Dr. Peter Gloviczki, Joe M. and Ruth Roberts Professor of Surgery, Emeritus, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, added, “The surgeon’s role to recognize early and treat correctly popliteal artery lesions is essential. Failure may result in life-long disability or limb loss.”
The session kicks off with Dr. Niten Singh, professor of surgery at the University of Washington, exploring new developments and treatments in popliteal entrapment syndromes. Then the focus turns to popliteal aneurysms. Dr. Fred A. Weaver, chief of vascular surgery and endovascular therapy at Keck Hospital of the University of Southern California, will look at the scenarios when endograft or bypass for popliteal aneurysm may be appropriate, then Dr. Giovanni Pratesi, associate professor of vascular surgery at the University of Rome, dives into the use of endografts to treat thrombosed popliteal aneurysms.
The section on popliteal aneurysms closes out with a debate on endovascular repair. Dr. Martin Bjorck, professor of vascular surgery at University Hospital, Uppsala, provides scenarios when open repair is the preferred option. Dr. Eric Verhoeven and Dr. Athanasios Katsargyris, both vascular surgeons at Paracelsus Medical University, Nuremberg, will team up to present why endo is better in most cases.
“The issue of endovascular vs. open treatment of popliteal artery aneurysms is far from being resolved,” said Dr. Gloviczki. Dr. Bjorck will present data from the SvedVasc registry that reported open repair of popliteal aneurysms resulted in significantly better patency rates than endovascular repair, while Dr. Verhoeven and Dr. Katsargyris will counter with a retrospective analysis of their own registry data. “Level A evidence is still missing to confirm durability of popliteal stent-grafts, especially in patients with a usable, single-segment great saphenous vein,” said Dr. Gloviczki.
The session closes with two presentations on popliteal occlusive disease. Dr. Patrick Peeters, head of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at Imelda Hospital in Bonheiden, Belgium, will draw on new data from the FLEXION Trial to put the value of IN.PACT drug-eluting balloons (DEBs) in context. “DEBs in the infrapopliteal location did not do better at 12 months than regular PTA (percutaneous transluminal angioplasty) in the randomized INPACT-DEEP trial. Bbut for superficial femoral artery lesions DEB with optional nitinol stents resulted in less restenosis at 12 months than conventional PTA with nitinol stent in the DEBATE-SFA randomized trial. It will be interesting to see how DEBs perform now in the popliteal artery,” said Dr. Gloviczki.
The session closes out with Dr. Maxime M.S. Sibe’s presentation on whether improved stents have changed the treatment paradigm for complex popliteal occlusive lesions. “This presentation will boost interest in this technology and help us select the best patients for one or the other device,” Dr. Gloviczki said. Dr. Sibe is a vascular surgeon at Clinique Saint Augustin in Bordeaux.
“The debates and talks about popliteal aneurysms should help refine surgeons’ practices and help them choose which therapy is best for which patients,” Dr. Shortell said.
The multitude of problems that vascular surgeons encounter in the popliteal fossa will be the subject of “New Developments in Popliteal Entrapments, Aneurysms and Occlusive Lesions and Their Treatments” on Friday morning.
“As much as any other vascular bed in the body, the popliteal fossa highlights the value of the vascular surgeons’ toolkit, a detailed knowledge of the regional anatomy and the ability to perform open, endo and even non-vascular interventions in the case of popliteal entrapment,” said co-moderator Dr. Cynthia K. Shortell, professor of surgery at Duke University Medical Center.
Co-moderator Dr. Peter Gloviczki, Joe M. and Ruth Roberts Professor of Surgery, Emeritus, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, added, “The surgeon’s role to recognize early and treat correctly popliteal artery lesions is essential. Failure may result in life-long disability or limb loss.”
The session kicks off with Dr. Niten Singh, professor of surgery at the University of Washington, exploring new developments and treatments in popliteal entrapment syndromes. Then the focus turns to popliteal aneurysms. Dr. Fred A. Weaver, chief of vascular surgery and endovascular therapy at Keck Hospital of the University of Southern California, will look at the scenarios when endograft or bypass for popliteal aneurysm may be appropriate, then Dr. Giovanni Pratesi, associate professor of vascular surgery at the University of Rome, dives into the use of endografts to treat thrombosed popliteal aneurysms.
The section on popliteal aneurysms closes out with a debate on endovascular repair. Dr. Martin Bjorck, professor of vascular surgery at University Hospital, Uppsala, provides scenarios when open repair is the preferred option. Dr. Eric Verhoeven and Dr. Athanasios Katsargyris, both vascular surgeons at Paracelsus Medical University, Nuremberg, will team up to present why endo is better in most cases.
“The issue of endovascular vs. open treatment of popliteal artery aneurysms is far from being resolved,” said Dr. Gloviczki. Dr. Bjorck will present data from the SvedVasc registry that reported open repair of popliteal aneurysms resulted in significantly better patency rates than endovascular repair, while Dr. Verhoeven and Dr. Katsargyris will counter with a retrospective analysis of their own registry data. “Level A evidence is still missing to confirm durability of popliteal stent-grafts, especially in patients with a usable, single-segment great saphenous vein,” said Dr. Gloviczki.
The session closes with two presentations on popliteal occlusive disease. Dr. Patrick Peeters, head of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at Imelda Hospital in Bonheiden, Belgium, will draw on new data from the FLEXION Trial to put the value of IN.PACT drug-eluting balloons (DEBs) in context. “DEBs in the infrapopliteal location did not do better at 12 months than regular PTA (percutaneous transluminal angioplasty) in the randomized INPACT-DEEP trial. Bbut for superficial femoral artery lesions DEB with optional nitinol stents resulted in less restenosis at 12 months than conventional PTA with nitinol stent in the DEBATE-SFA randomized trial. It will be interesting to see how DEBs perform now in the popliteal artery,” said Dr. Gloviczki.
The session closes out with Dr. Maxime M.S. Sibe’s presentation on whether improved stents have changed the treatment paradigm for complex popliteal occlusive lesions. “This presentation will boost interest in this technology and help us select the best patients for one or the other device,” Dr. Gloviczki said. Dr. Sibe is a vascular surgeon at Clinique Saint Augustin in Bordeaux.
“The debates and talks about popliteal aneurysms should help refine surgeons’ practices and help them choose which therapy is best for which patients,” Dr. Shortell said.
The multitude of problems that vascular surgeons encounter in the popliteal fossa will be the subject of “New Developments in Popliteal Entrapments, Aneurysms and Occlusive Lesions and Their Treatments” on Friday morning.
“As much as any other vascular bed in the body, the popliteal fossa highlights the value of the vascular surgeons’ toolkit, a detailed knowledge of the regional anatomy and the ability to perform open, endo and even non-vascular interventions in the case of popliteal entrapment,” said co-moderator Dr. Cynthia K. Shortell, professor of surgery at Duke University Medical Center.
Co-moderator Dr. Peter Gloviczki, Joe M. and Ruth Roberts Professor of Surgery, Emeritus, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, added, “The surgeon’s role to recognize early and treat correctly popliteal artery lesions is essential. Failure may result in life-long disability or limb loss.”
The session kicks off with Dr. Niten Singh, professor of surgery at the University of Washington, exploring new developments and treatments in popliteal entrapment syndromes. Then the focus turns to popliteal aneurysms. Dr. Fred A. Weaver, chief of vascular surgery and endovascular therapy at Keck Hospital of the University of Southern California, will look at the scenarios when endograft or bypass for popliteal aneurysm may be appropriate, then Dr. Giovanni Pratesi, associate professor of vascular surgery at the University of Rome, dives into the use of endografts to treat thrombosed popliteal aneurysms.
The section on popliteal aneurysms closes out with a debate on endovascular repair. Dr. Martin Bjorck, professor of vascular surgery at University Hospital, Uppsala, provides scenarios when open repair is the preferred option. Dr. Eric Verhoeven and Dr. Athanasios Katsargyris, both vascular surgeons at Paracelsus Medical University, Nuremberg, will team up to present why endo is better in most cases.
“The issue of endovascular vs. open treatment of popliteal artery aneurysms is far from being resolved,” said Dr. Gloviczki. Dr. Bjorck will present data from the SvedVasc registry that reported open repair of popliteal aneurysms resulted in significantly better patency rates than endovascular repair, while Dr. Verhoeven and Dr. Katsargyris will counter with a retrospective analysis of their own registry data. “Level A evidence is still missing to confirm durability of popliteal stent-grafts, especially in patients with a usable, single-segment great saphenous vein,” said Dr. Gloviczki.
The session closes with two presentations on popliteal occlusive disease. Dr. Patrick Peeters, head of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at Imelda Hospital in Bonheiden, Belgium, will draw on new data from the FLEXION Trial to put the value of IN.PACT drug-eluting balloons (DEBs) in context. “DEBs in the infrapopliteal location did not do better at 12 months than regular PTA (percutaneous transluminal angioplasty) in the randomized INPACT-DEEP trial. Bbut for superficial femoral artery lesions DEB with optional nitinol stents resulted in less restenosis at 12 months than conventional PTA with nitinol stent in the DEBATE-SFA randomized trial. It will be interesting to see how DEBs perform now in the popliteal artery,” said Dr. Gloviczki.
The session closes out with Dr. Maxime M.S. Sibe’s presentation on whether improved stents have changed the treatment paradigm for complex popliteal occlusive lesions. “This presentation will boost interest in this technology and help us select the best patients for one or the other device,” Dr. Gloviczki said. Dr. Sibe is a vascular surgeon at Clinique Saint Augustin in Bordeaux.
“The debates and talks about popliteal aneurysms should help refine surgeons’ practices and help them choose which therapy is best for which patients,” Dr. Shortell said.