Previous data suggest that patients with small AAA have a high risk of cardiovascular (CV) mortality and morbidity. The recent implementation of the NHS AAA screening programme (NAAASP) and similar programmes elsewhere has led to several individuals being diagnosed with small AAA, yet addressing their CV risk-factors is still not formalised clinical practice within screening programmes. The precise contemporary CV risk-profiles of these patients also remain unknown. Our findings suggest that despite recent advances in CV prevention in highrisk populations, the management of patients with small AAA remains suboptimal. Better CVprotection should be offered and monitored during surveillance. ABSTRACTBackground: Patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) are at significant-risk of

Results: Acute DVT occurred in 7.3%, and chronic DVT occurred in 9.7% of patients studied (24.0% inpatients, 60.9% female; mean age, 56.3 years [range, 4-91 years, 1.1% aged Ͻ16 years]). History of previous DVT (74.0%) and smoking (38.0%) were the most common risk factors in patients with DVT. Iliac DVT was identified in 9.6% of acute DVT and in 5.7% of chronic DVT. Common femoral DVT was identified in 30.8% of acute DVT and in 22.9% of chronic DVT. CDL was used in 14.3% and thrombectomy in 4.8% of acute iliac/common femoral DVT and was never used with distal DVT. Warfarin anticoagulation with or without heparin/enoxaparin overlap was the most common treatment for acute (58.5%) and chronic (48.6%) iliac/common femoral DVT. In 2008 the referral base of the IU laboratory increased significantly. Acute DVT occurred significantly less often during the 1-year period of 2008 (5.3%) than in the 10-year period 1998 to 2007 (7.6%), but iliac/common femoral DVT as a component of acute DVT did not differ significantly (40.0% in 2008, 41.9% in 1998-2007).Conclusions: Iliac/common femoral DVT affects almost half of patients with acute DVT. Current recommendations of acute thrombus removal for the treatment of iliofemoral DVT is under-utilized, suggesting that perhaps greater education of clinicians and patients regarding invasive therapy for iliofemoral DVT is necessary.

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Aim: Cystatin C, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and galectin-3 have emerged as biomarker candidates to predict cardiovascular outcomes and mortality in the general population as well as in patients with coronary artery or renal disease. However, their predictive role and clinical utility in patients with acute coronary syndromes alone or in combination beyond currently used risk scores remains to be determined. Methods and results: Cystatin C, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, and galectin-3 were measured in plasmas of 1832 patients at the time of presentation with acute coronary syndromes requiring percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass grafting. The primary outcomes were major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (defined as the composite of all-cause mortality, cerebrovascular events, any repeat revascularization or myocardial infarction) and all-cause mortality after 1 year and occurred in 192 (10.5%) and 78 (4.3%) of patients, respectively. All three biomarkers were increased in those with major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events compared with those without (p<0.001). However, only galectin-3 (all-cause mortality: hazard ratio=1.027 (95% confidence interval (1.011–1.043); p=0.001), major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events: hazard ratio=1.025 (95% confidence interval (1.012–1.037); p<0.001)) but not cystatin C nor neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin emerged as independent predictors of both major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events and death. The risks were particularly high in the highest quartile of galectin-3. The integration of galectin-3 into the global registry of acute coronary events (GRACE) score improved the prediction of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events and all-cause mortality significantly. The areas under the receiver operator characteristics curves increased from 0.6701 to 0.6932 for major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (p=0.0474) and from 0.804 to 0.8199 for all-cause mortality (p=0.0197). Finally, we applied net reclassification improvement index using different cut-offs for major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events which showed negative results (for the cut-offs of 5% and 15%, net reclassification improvement index 0.028, p=0.586, for the cut-offs of 10% and 20%, net reclassification improvement index 0.072, p=0.1132 and for the cut-offs of 10% and 30% the net reclassification improvement index is 0.0843, p=0.077). Conclusion: In acute coronary syndromes patients, galectin-3 has moderate prognostic accuracy, provides statistically significant incremental value in some, but not all models, and that the magnitude of any improvement would seem of questionable clinical value.

Intravascular thrombus formation and embolization are among the most frequent events leading to a number of cardiovascular conditions with high morbidity and mortality. The underlying causes are stasis of the circulating blood, genetic and acquired coagulation disorders, and reduced antithrombotic or prothrombotic properties of the vascular wall (Virchow’s triad). In the venous system, intravascular thrombi can cause venous thrombosis and pulmonary and even peripheral embolism including ischaemic stroke [through a patent foramen ovale (PFO)]. Thrombi in the left atrium and its appendage or ventricle form in the context of atrial fibrillation and infarction, respectively. Furthermore, thrombi can form on native or prosthetic aortic valves, within the aorta (in particular at sites of ulcers, aortic dissection, and abdominal aneurysms), and in cerebral and peripheral arteries causing stroke and critical limb ischaemia, respectively. Finally, thrombotic occlusion may occur in arteries supplying vital organs such the heart, brain, kidney, and extremities. Thrombus formation and embolization can be managed with anticoagulants and devices depending on where they form and embolize and on patient characteristics. Vitamin K antagonists are preferred in patients with mechanical valves, while novel oral anticoagulants are first choice in most other cardiovascular conditions, in particular venous thromboembolism and atrial fibrillation. As anticoagulants are associated with a risk of bleeding, devices such as occluders of a PFO or the left atrial appendage are preferred in patients with an increased bleeding risk. Platelet inhibitors such as aspirin and/or P2Y12 antagonists are preferred in the secondary prevention of coronary artery disease, stroke, and peripheral artery disease either alone or in combination depending on the clinical condition. A differential and personalized use of anticoagulants, platelet inhibitors, and devices is recommended and reviewed in this article.