WHAT THIS PAPER ADDSThis study shows the additional value of measuring pre-operative young, reticulated platelets (pRP) in patients undergoing major non-cardiac surgery to predict post-operative myocardial injury (PMI) and 30 day mortality. Measuring pRP could identify patients with an increased risk of PMI and 30 day mortality. Future, prospective studies with consequent adjustment of cardiovascular risk management after pRP measurement, should determine the clinical relevance.Objective: A pre-operative marker for identification of patients at risk of peri-operative adverse events and 30 day mortality might be the percentage of young, reticulated platelets (pRP). This study aimed to determine the predictive value of pre-operative pRP on post-operative myocardial injury (PMI) and 30 day mortality, in patients aged ! 60 years undergoing moderate to high risk non-cardiac surgery.Methods: The incidence of PMI (troponin I > 0.06 mg/L) and 30 day mortality was compared for patients with normal and high pRP (!2.82%) obtained from The Utrecht Patient Orientated Database. The predictive pRP value was assessed using logistic regression. A prediction model for PMI or 30 day mortality with known risk factors was compared with a model including increased pRP using the area under the receiving operator characteristics curve (AUROC). Results: In total, 26.5% (607/2289) patients showed pre-operative increased pRP. Increased pRP was associated with more PMI and 30 day mortality compared with normal pRP (36.1% vs. 28.3%, p < .001 and 8.6% vs. 3.6%, p < .001). The median pRP was higher in patients suffering PMI and 30 day mortality compared with not ( 2.21 [IQR: 1.57e3.11] vs. 2.07 [IQR: 1.52e1.78], p ¼ .002, and 2.63 [IQR: 1.76e4.15] vs. 2.09 [IQR: 1.52e3.98], p < .001). pRP was independently related to PMI (OR: 1.28 [95% CI: 1.04e1.59], p ¼ .02) and 30 day mortality (OR: 2.35 [95% CI: 1.56e3.55], p < .001). Adding increased pRP to the predictive model of PMI or 30 day mortality did not increase the AUROC 0.71 vs. 0.72, and 0.80 vs. 0.81. Conclusion: In patients undergoing major non-cardiac surgery, increased pre-operative pRP is related to 30 day mortality and PMI.

Background Guidelines recommend treating patients with an internal carotid artery near occlusion (ICANO) with best medical therapy (BMT) based on weak evidence. Consequently, patients with ICANO were excluded from randomized trials. The aim of this individual‐patient data (IPD) meta‐analysis was to determine the optimal treatment approach. Methods A systematic search was performed in MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library databases in January 2018. The primary outcome was the occurrence of any stroke or death within the first 30 days of treatment, analysed by multivariable mixed‐effect logistic regression. The secondary outcome was the occurrence of any stroke or death beyond 30 days up to 1 year after treatment, evaluated by Kaplan–Meier survival analysis. Results The search yielded 1526 articles, of which 61 were retrieved for full‐text review. Some 32 studies met the inclusion criteria and pooled IPD were available from 11 studies, including some 703 patients with ICANO. Within 30 days, any stroke or death was reported in six patients (1·8 per cent) in the carotid endarterectomy (CEA) group, five (2·2 per cent) in the carotid artery stenting (CAS) group and seven (4·9 per cent) in the BMT group. This resulted in a higher 30‐day stroke or death rate after BMT than after CEA (odds ratio 5·63, 95 per cent c.i. 1·30 to 24·45; P = 0·021). No differences were found between CEA and CAS. The 1‐year any stroke‐ or death‐free survival rate was 96·1 per cent for CEA, 94·4 per cent for CAS and 81·2 per cent for BMT. Conclusion These data suggest that BMT alone is not superior to CEA or CAS with respect to 30‐day or 1‐year stroke or death prevention in patients with ICANO. These patients do not appear to constitute a high‐risk group for surgery, and consideration should made to including them in future RCTs of internal carotid artery interventions.

ObjectiveNear occlusion (NO) of the internal carotid artery (ICA) with full collapse (NOFC) is a rare condition, with a prevalence of around 1%. Guidelines on carotid stenosis recommend a conservative treatment in patients with a single-event ipsilateral to a NOFC, but the optimal treatment for patients with recurrent symptoms associated with NOFC remains uncertain. We describe a consecutive series of patients with recurrent symptoms associated with NOFC (RSNOFC) who underwent carotid endarterectomy (CEA).MethodsFrom 2008 to 2017, 17 consecutive patients with RSNOFC were treated according to our standardized multidisciplinary work-up and protocol and included for this single-center cohort study. NO was defined according to the angiographic North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial criteria. Only patients with NOFC were included in this study.ResultsStandard longitudinal CEA was performed in 15 patients, whereas in 2 patients the ICA was ligated with concomitant endarterectomy of the ECA. Within 30 postoperative days, one patient died from a hemorrhagic infarction. During follow-up (median 23 months) one patient died of unknown cause 90 days after CEA. No TIA, stroke, myocardial infarction or re-stenosis occurred in the remaining patients.ConclusionIn patients with RSNOFC, CEA may be considered a potential treatment option. Although procedural risks in this small subgroup may be higher as compared to patients with low-to-moderate risk anatomy, this risk may outbalance the natural course.

WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS This systematic review presents an overview of the available evidence on patient related features associated with an increased susceptibility to the development of new ischaemic brain lesions on magnetic resonance diffusion weighted imaging after carotid endarterectomy and carotid artery stenting. These demographic, radiological, and biochemical predictors may be helpful in decision making on patient selection for medical intervention, carotid stenting, or endarterectomy.Objectives: Peri-procedural ischaemic brain lesions on diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) after carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and carotid artery stenting (CAS) have been related to a higher chance of recurrent cerebrovascular events. This systematic review provides an overview of patient characteristics associated with increased risk of new DWI lesions. Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane library databases were systematically searched (update November 2018) for studies reporting post-procedural DWI lesions after CEA or CAS. Data derived from both procedures were analysed separately. Studies reporting predictive features that were present prior to intervention were assigned to 10 categories: age, gender, cardiovascular risk factors, symptomatology, plaque vulnerability, atherosclerotic burden, cerebrovascular haemodynamics, carotid/arch anatomy, inflammatory markers, and markers of coagulation. A semi-quantitative analysis was performed by plotting studies that found an association between the investigated features and DWI lesions against those that did not find an association. Results: Forty-six studies (5018 patients) were included: 10 reported only CEA, 33 CAS, and three both interventions. 68.0% of 1873 CEA patients and 55.9% of 3145 CAS patients were symptomatic. The weighted prevalence of DWI lesions was 18.1% (95% CI 14.0e22.7%) in CEA patients compared with 40.5% (95% CI 35.4e45.7%) in CAS patients. Studies reporting on CEA patients predominantly found an increased risk in symptomatic patients (two of seven studies, including 848/1661 patients), those with impaired haemodynamics (five of five studies), and increased inflammatory markers (two of three studies). Studies reporting on CAS patients often found a positive association with age (10/26 studies), high plaque vulnerability (25/34 studies), or complex carotid/arch anatomy (three out of five studies). Conclusions: For patients undergoing CEA, symptomatic status, impeded cerebral haemodynamics, and increased inflammatory markers are associated with increased susceptibility to peri-operative DWI lesions. In CAS patients, higher age, plaque vulnerability and complex carotid/aortic arch anatomy were identified as risk factors. These clinical predictors may assist with decision making on patient selection for medical treatment, CEA or CAS.

Objective: Procedural characteristics, including stent design, may influence the outcome of carotid artery stenting (CAS). A thorough comparison of the effect of stent design on outcome of CAS is thus warranted to allow for optimal evidence-based clinical decision making. This study sought to evaluate the effect of stent design on clinical and radiological outcomes of CAS.Methods: A systematic search was conducted in MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane databases in May 2018. Included were articles reporting on the occurrence of clinical short-and long-term major adverse events (MAE, any stroke or death) or radiological adverse events (new ischemic lesions on postprocedural magnetic resonance diffusion-weighted imaging (MR-DWI), restenosis or stent fracture) in different stent designs used to treat carotid artery stenosis.Random effects models were used to calculate combined overall effect sizes. Meta-regression was performed to identify the effect of specific stents on MAE rates. Results: From 2,654 unique identified articles, two randomized controlled trials and 66 cohort studies were eligible for analysis (including 46,728 procedures). Short-term clinical MAE rates were similar for patients treated with open cell versus closed cell or hybrid stents. Use of Acculink stent was associated with a higher risk of MAE compared to Wallstent (RR: 1.51, p=0.03), as was true for use of Precise stent versus Xact stent (RR: 1.55, p<0.001). Long-term clinical MAE rates were similar for open versus closed cell stents. Use of open cell stents predisposed to a 25% higher chance (RR: 1.25; p=0.03) of developing postprocedural new ischemic lesions on MR-DWI. No differences were observed in incidence of restenosis, stent fracture, or intraprocedural hemodynamic depression with respect to different stent design. [Type here] Conclusions: Stent design does not affect short-or long-term clinical MAE rates in patients undergoing CAS. Furthermore, the division in open and closed cell stent design might conceal true differences in single stent efficacy. Nevertheless, open cell stenting resulted in a significantly higher number of MR-DWI-detected subclinical postprocedural new ischemic lesions compared with closed cell stenting. An individualized patient data meta-analysis,including future studies with prospective homogenous study design, is required to adequately correct for known risk factors and provide definite conclusions with respect to carotid stent design for specific subgroups.

Flimsy evidence

Histological IMT measurements for the aorta and coronaries show large variations around the trend and plateauing of, and possibly reductions in IMT in late stage atherosclerotic disease. These observations for the aorta and coronaries may (partly) explain the limited benefit of including carotid IMT in risk prediction algorithms.

Objectives: Peri-procedural ischaemic brain lesions on diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) after carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and carotid artery stenting (CAS) have been related to a higher chance of recurrent cerebrovascular events. This systematic review provides an overview of patient characteristics associated with increased risk of new DWI lesions. Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane library databases were systematically searched (update November 2018) for studies reporting postprocedural DWI lesions after CEA or CAS. Data derived from both procedures were analysed separately. Studies reporting predictive features that were present prior to intervention were assigned to 10 categories: age, gender, cardiovascular risk factors, symptomatology, plaque vulnerability, atherosclerotic burden, cerebrovascular haemodynamics, carotid/arch anatomy, inflammatory markers, and markers of coagulation. A semiquantitative analysis was performed by plotting studies that found an association between the investigated features and DWI lesions against those that did not find an association. Results: Forty-six studies (5018 patients) were included: 10 reported only CEA, 33 CAS, and three both interventions. 68.0% of 1873 CEA patients and 55.9% of 3145 CAS patients were symptomatic. The weighted prevalence of DWI lesions was 18.1% (95% CI 14.0e22.7%) in CEA patients compared with 40.5% (95% CI 35.4e45.7%) in CAS patients. Studies reporting on CEA patients predominantly found an increased risk in symptomatic patients (two of seven studies, including 848/1661 patients), those with impaired haemodynamics (five of five studies), and increased inflammatory markers (two of three studies). Studies reporting on CAS patients often found a positive association with age (10/26 studies), high plaque vulnerability (25/34 studies), or complex carotid/arch anatomy (three out of five studies). Conclusions: For patients undergoing CEA, symptomatic status, impeded cerebral haemodynamics, and increased inflammatory markers are associated with increased susceptibility to peri-operative DWI lesions. In CAS patients, higher age, plaque vulnerability and complex carotid/aortic arch anatomy were identified as risk factors. These clinical predictors may assist with decision making on patient selection for medical treatment, CEA or CAS.