Impact of metabolic syndrome on the outcomes of superficial femoral artery interventions

BackgroundMetabolic syndrome (MetSyn) is an epidemic in the United States and is associated with early onset of atherosclerosis, increased thrombotic events, and increased complications after cardiovascular intervention. MetSyn is found in ∼50% of patients with peripheral vascular disease. However, its impact on peripheral interventions is unknown. The aim of this study is to determine the outcomes of superficial femoral artery (SFA) interventions in patients with and without MetSyn.MethodsA database of patients undergoing endovascular treatment of SFA disease between 1999 and 2009 was retrospectively queried. MetSyn was defined as the presence of ≥3 of the following criteria: blood pressure ≥130 mm Hg/≥85 mm Hg; triglycerides ≥150 mg/dL; high-density lipoprotein ≤50 mg/dL for women and ≤40 mg/dL for men; fasting blood glucose ≥110 mg/dL; or body mass index ≥30 kg/m2. Kaplan-Meier survival analyses were performed to assess time-dependent outcomes. Factor analyses were performed using a Cox proportional hazard model for time-dependent variables.ResultsA total of 1018 limbs in 738 patients (64% male, average age 67 years) underwent endovascular treatment for symptomatic SFA disease with 45% of patients meeting the criteria for MetSyn. MetSyn patients were more likely to be female (P = .001), to present with critical ischemia (rest pain/tissue loss: 55% MetSyn vs 45% non-MetSyn; P = .001), have poorer ambulatory status (P = .001), and have more advanced SFA lesions (TransAtlantic Inter-Society Consensus II C/D: 51% vs 11%; P = .001) and worse tibial runoff (P = .001). MetSyn patients required more complex interventions (P = .0001). There was no difference in mortality and major adverse cardiac events, but systemic complications (4% vs 1%; P = .001) and major adverse limb events (12% vs 7%; P = .0009) were significantly higher in the MetSyn group. Immediate postprocedural hemodynamic improvement, resolved or improved symptoms, and restoration of impaired ambulation were equivalent in both groups. Early failure (<6 months) was more common in those with MetSyn. At 5 years, primary, assisted primary, and secondary patencies were not affected by the presence of MetSyn. The presence of MetSyn was associated with a decrease in clinical efficacy, decreased freedom from recurrent symptoms, and decreased freedom from major amputation at 5 years.ConclusionsMetSyn is present in nearly half of the patients presenting with SFA disease. These patients present with more advanced disease and have poorer symptomatic and functional outcomes compared with those patients without MetSyn

One-Year Results with a Low-Profile Endograft in Subjects with Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm and Ulcer Pathologies

Objective Evaluate safety and effectiveness of the second generation, low-profile RelayPro thoracic endograft for the treatment of descending thoracic aortic aneurysm or penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer (PAU). Method A prospective, international, non-blinded, non-randomized, pivotal trial analyzed a primary safety endpoint of major adverse events (MAE) at 30 days (death, myocardial infarction, stroke, renal/respiratory failure, paralysis, bowel ischemia, procedural blood loss), and a primary effectiveness endpoint of treatment success at one year (technical success, patency, absence of aneurysm rupture, type I/III endoleaks, stent fractures, reinterventions, aneurysm expansion, and migration) compared to performance goals from the previous generation Relay pivotal study. The study was conducted in 36 centers in the US and Japan and enrolled between 2017 and 2019. Results The study population of 110 patients had a median (IQR) age of 76 (70 – 81) years, n=69 (62.7%) were male, n=43 (39.1%) were Asian, and were treated for 76 fusiform aneurysms (69%), 24 saccular aneurysms (22%), and 10 PAUs (9%). Most patients (82.7%) were treated with a non-bare stent (NBS) configuration. Technical success was 100%: median (IQR) procedure time was 91 (64 – 131) min, deployment time was 16 (10 – 25) min; 50 patients (73.5%) of the US cohort had percutaneous access, while centers in Japan used only surgical cutdown. The 30-day composite MAE rate was 6.4% (95% upper CI 11.6%, p=.0002): 2 strokes, 2 procedural blood losses >1000 mL requiring transfusion, 2 paralysis events, and 1 renal failure. Primary effectiveness was 89.2% (lower 95% CI 81.8%, p=.0185): 9 subjects experienced 11 events (1 aneurysm expansion, 6 secondary interventions, 4 type I endoleaks). There was no loss of stent-graft patency, no rupture, no fractures, and no migration. Conclusions The low-profile RelayPro thoracic endograft met the study primary endpoints and demonstrated satisfactory 30-day safety and 1-year effectiveness for the treatment of patients with aneurysms of the descending thoracic aorta or PAUs. Follow-up is ongoing to evaluate longer term outcomes and durability