Endovascular repair of isolated post-traumatic subclavian artery false-aneurysm (FA) using gore viabahn vbx-balloon-expandable (BE) stent-graft: case report and literature review

True and false aneurysms (FA) of the subclavian artery are at high risk of rupture due to their localization and proximity/closeness to the articular bone structures of the upper thoracic outlet and shoulders. Surgical and endovascular treatments are good options to avoid complications such as aneurysms rupture, thrombosis and distal embolism alone or in combination. Self-expandable (SE) covered stents are the most used devices for the treatment of subclavian artery aneurysms. We report on a case of post traumatic left intra-thoracic subclavian artery FA treated using endovascular technique, highlighting the usefulness of the new covered Gore Viabahn VBX-BE stent-graft that combines the advantages of a high radial strength of a BE stent with the deliverability and conformability of a SE stent

Mortality and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international cohort study

Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation. Findings: This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (74·0%) had emergency surgery and 280 (24·8%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (26·1%) patients. 30-day mortality was 23·8% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (51·2%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 38·0% (219 of 577), accounting for 81·7% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1·75 [95% CI 1·28–2·40], p\textless0·0001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (2·30 [1·65–3·22], p\textless0·0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3–5 versus grades 1–2 (2·35 [1·57–3·53], p\textless0·0001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (1·55 [1·01–2·39], p=0·046), emergency versus elective surgery (1·67 [1·06–2·63], p=0·026), and major versus minor surgery (1·52 [1·01–2·31], p=0·047). Interpretation: Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery. Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research

Presenza di Volpe <em>Vulpes vulpes</em> in contesto fortemente urbanizzato di periferia metropolitana: il caso del quartiere Scampìa a Napoli

Il fenomeno dell'inurbamento della Volpe si rivela interessante sia da un punto di vista inerente la sua storia naturale che sotto il profilo sanitario, in quanto veicolo del virus della rabbia. A Napoli, dove è presente in estese aree boschive o coltivate quali i boschi dei Camaldoli e Capodimonte, e sulla collina di Monte Sant'Angelo (Fuorigrotta), è stata anche osservata in contesti più urbanizzati quali i vasti prati dell'aeroporto di Capodichino e il quartiere Scampìa, quest'ultimo sito alla periferia nord della città. Le osservazioni compiute in aeroporto riguardano individui solitari - attivi nelle prime ore del giorno, o nel tardo pomeriggio - i quali frequentano habitat prativi caratterizzati soprattutto da Graminacee e distese di Malva <em>Malva sylvestris</em>. Le osservazioni di Scampìa, alle quali si riferisce il presente lavoro, riguardano invece un quartiere di edilizia popolare, sorto alla fine degli anni '60 del secolo scorso, a seguito dell'attuazione della legge "167". L'area è caratterizzata da estesi lotti di case popolari, con palazzi alti fino a 12 piani, intervallati da ampli viali e da incolti ricoperti di rovi (<em>Rubus</em> spp.). L'intera zona aveva un'antica vocazione agricola; qui si rinvenivano, infatti, prima della trasformazione edilizia, colture arboree (ciliegi) e vigneti con vitigni stesi in modo caratteristico, tra grossi tronchi di pioppi (<em>Populus</em> spp.) capitozzati, a formare tradizionali filari (vite "maritata"). Scampìa ospita attualmente una fauna di Vertebrati omeotermi composta prevalentemente da specie ornitiche tipiche di habitat prativi e arbustivi aperti, "adattate" a sopravvivere in contesti fortemente trasformati in chiave urbanistica. Tra queste, vi nidificano l'Averla piccola <em>Lanius collurio</em> e il Saltimpalo <em>Saxicola torquata</em>. L'area viene visitata saltuariamente anche da Gheppi <em>Falco tinnunculus</em> in caccia. Tra i Mammiferi presente anche la Donnola <em>Mustela nivalis</em>, almeno fino all'inizio degli anni '80. Gli individui di Volpe sono stati osservati in uno spazio - circondato da lotti di edilizia civile e pubblica - ricoperto di rovi, di forma triangolare ed esteso per 1494,02 m², recante al centro una porzione di suolo erboso. L'11 aprile in particolare si è rinvenuta una femmina gravida. In un territorio come quello napoletano, oramai ben studiato sotto il profilo avifaunistico con interessanti fenomeni di espansione di alcune specie, è auspicabile ora rivolgere la stessa attenzione anche verso altri gruppi di Vertebrati, come i Mammiferi, per avere un quadro più completo delle relazioni trofiche che si instaurano tra le diverse specie facenti parte della comunità

Applicazioni endoscopiche ND-Yag laser nella patologia ostruttiva bronchiale non neoplastica

[No abstract available

Effects of multiple inherited and acquired thrombophilia on outcomes of in-vitro fertilization.

INTRODUCTION The effects of multiple inherited and acquired thrombophilic defects on the outcome of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) remain unexplored. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between multiple thrombophilia and clinical outcomes in a large prospective cohort of women undergoing IVF. MATERIALS AND METHODS Consecutive women scheduled for IVF were eligible. The primary study outcome was live birth. Secondary outcomes included spontaneous abortion, clinical pregnancy, and symptomatic venous thromboembolism. RESULTS 687 women with a mean age of 34.6 (±3.2) years were included. Overall, 22 women (3.2%) had two or more thrombophilic defects. The probability of live birth was not statistically significantly different between women with ≥2 thrombophilia (odds ratio [OR] 0.62; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.18 to 2.11) or ≥1 thrombophilia (OR 0.67;95% CI, 0.41 to 1.09) and women without any thrombophilia. None of the individual inherited thrombophilia nor positivity to antiphospholipid antibodies or lupus anticoagulant were associated with live birth. Single positivity for lupus anticoagulant carried a more than threefold higher risk of abortion (OR 3.74; 95% CI, 1.30 to 10.75). There were no statistically significant associations between individual or multiple thrombophilic defects and clinical pregnancy or pregnancy test results. No woman had a history of venous thromboembolism and none developed a thrombotic event during the study. CONCLUSIONS In women undergoing IVF, the presence of two or more thrombophilic defects was rare and showed no statistically significant associations with IVF outcomes

Age- versus clinical pretest probability-adjusted D-dimer to rule out lower-extremity deep vein thrombosis in ambulatory patients with active cancer.

BACKGROUND In patients with suspected deep vein thrombosis (DVT), D-dimer thresholds adjusted to age or clinical pretest probability (CPTP) increase the proportion of patients in whom DVT can be safely excluded compared to a standard approach using a fixed D-dimer threshold. Performance of these diagnostic strategies among cancer patients is uncertain. AIM To compare the performance of age- and CPTP-adjusted D-dimer approaches among cancer outpatients with clinically suspected DVT, and derive a cancer-specific CPTP rule. PATIENTS AND METHODS Consecutive ambulatory patients with active cancer and clinically suspected DVT of the lower extremity underwent CPTP assessment using the Wells rule, D-dimer testing, and whole-leg compression ultrasonography. Patients with normal ultrasonography were followed-up for 3 months for the occurrence of symptomatic venous thromboembolism. RESULTS Upon referral, DVT was diagnosed in 48 of 239 (20.1 %) patients. The age-adjusted approach showed higher specificity and efficiency than the standard approach. Compared to the standard and age-adjusted strategies, the CPTP-adjusted approach had 35 % and 21 % higher specificity, and 34 % and 21 % higher efficiency, respectively. Failure rate, sensitivity, and predictive values were similar across strategies. A simplified CPTP score derived from the Wells rule reduced unnecessary imaging with similar accuracy and efficiency, but higher failure rate. CONCLUSIONS In this prospective cohort of ambulatory cancer patients with clinically suspected DVT, the CPTP-adjusted D-dimer approach held the highest specificity and efficiency, potentially safely reducing unnecessary ultrasonography examinations compared to other approaches. Additional studies are warranted to evaluate the use of a simplified clinical prediction rule in this setting

Long-term performance of risk scores for venous thromboembolism in ambulatory cancer patients.

The long-term performance of prediction scores for venous thromboembolism (VTE) in cancer patients has been poorly investigated. We evaluated the discriminatory performance of the Khorana, PROTECHT, CONKO, and ONKOTEV scores for the first 3-6 months and for 12 months, and re-assessed scores after 3-6 months to determine the influence of variations in patients' risk classification on performance. Retrospective cohort of ambulatory patients with active cancer who were scheduled to receive first or new line of chemotherapy. The primary outcome was symptomatic or incidental VTE. A total of 776 patients were included of whom 540 (70%) had distant metastases. The time-dependent c-statistics of Khorana, PROTECHT, CONKO, and ONKOTEV scores at 6 months were 0.61 (95% CI 0.56 to 0.66), 0.61 (95% CI 0.55 to 0.66), 0.60 (95% CI 0.54 to 0.66), and 0.59 (0.52 to 0.66), respectively, with a tendency to decrease during follow-up. None of the scores discriminated between high and low risk patients at the conventional 3-point positivity threshold. The use of a 2-point positivity threshold improved performance of all scores and captured a higher proportion of VTE. The accuracy of risk scores re-assessed at 3-6 months was modest. The Khorana, PROTECHT, CONKO, and ONKOTEV scores are not sufficiently accurate when used at a conventional threshold of 3 points. Performance improves at positivity threshold of 2 points, as evaluated in recent randomized studies on VTE prophylaxis. Score accuracy tends to decrease over time suggesting the need of periodic re-evaluation to estimate possible variation of risk

Sharp penetrating wounds: spectrum of imaging findings and legal aspects in the emergency setting

The main cause of severe civilian trauma is not the same all over the world; while in Europe the majority of cases are due to blunt traumatic injury, in the United States, penetrating gunshot wounds are the most common. Penetrating wounds can be classified into two different entities: gunshot wounds, or more technically ballistic traumas, and sharp penetrating traumas, also identifiable with non-ballistic traumas. Sharp penetrating injuries are mainly caused by sharp pointed objects such as spears, nails, daggers, knives, and arrows. The type of injuries caused by sharp pointed objects depends on the nature and shape of the weapon, the amount of energy in the weapon or implement when it strikes the body, whether it is inflicted upon a moving or a still body, and the nature of the tissue injured. In the assessment of hemodynamically stable patients with sharp penetrating wounds, the main imaging procedure is Multidetector Computed Tomography (MDCT), especially used in complicated cases of penetrating injuries with an important impact on the final therapeutic choice. The diagnostic approach has been changed by MDCT due to its technical improvements, in particular, faster data acquiring and upgraded image reconstructions