Objective: It is unclear what the optimal upper extremity hemodialysis access is for patients without a suitable cephalic vein for arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs). The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to compare the outcomes for upper extremity transposed brachiobasilic AVFs (BBAVFs) and prosthetic arteriovenous grafts (AVGs). Methods: A systematic review was performed to identify all English publications and abstracts comparing the patency outcomes of upper extremity BBAVFs and AVGs (January 1st, 1994 to April 1st, 2020). The outcomes assessed were 1-year and 2-year primary and secondary patency rates. Pooled odds ratios (OR) were calculated using the random-effects model, and I2 statistic was used to assess between-study variability. Results: Twenty-three studies examining 2799 patients were identified and included in the study. The 1-year primary patency rates (OR = 1.68, 95% CI 1.24–2.28, p = 0.001, I2 = 69.40%) and 2-year primary patency rates (OR = 2.33, 95% CI 1.59–3.43, p < 0.001, I2 = 68.26%) were significantly better for BBAVFs than AVGs. Compared to AVGs, the 1-year secondary patency rates (OR = 1.45, 95% CI 1.05–1.98, p = 0.022, I2 = 56.64%) and 2-year secondary patency rates (OR = 1.93, 95% CI 1.39–2.68, p < 0.001, I2 = 57.61%) were also significantly higher for BBAVFs. Conclusion: The outcomes for upper extremity BBAVFs appear to be consistently superior to prosthetic hemodialysis access. This analysis supports the preferential placement of BBAVFs over AVGs in patients with a suitable upper extremity basilic vein.

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Objective: It is unclear whether tapered arteriovenous grafts (AVGs) are superior to non-tapered AVGs when it comes to preventing upper extremity ischemic steal syndrome. We aimed to evaluate the outcomes of tapered and non-tapered AVGs using systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: A literature search was systemically performed to identify all English publications from 1999 to 2019 that directly compared the outcomes of upper extremity tapered and non-tapered AVGs. Outcomes evaluated were the primary patency at 1-year (number of studies ( n) = 4), secondary patency at 1-year ( n = 3), and risk of ischemic steal ( n = 5) and infection ( n = 4). Effect sizes of individual studies were pooled using random-effects model, and between-study variability was assessed using the I2 statistic. Results: Of 5808 studies screened, five studies involving 4397 patients have met the inclusion criteria and included in the analysis. Meta-analyses revealed no significant difference for the risk of ischemic steal syndrome (pooled odds ratio (OR) 0.92, 95% Confidence Incidence (CI) 0.29–2.91, p = 0.89, I2 = 48%) between the tapered and non-tapered upper extremity AVG. The primary patency (OR 1.33, 95% CI 0.93–1.90, p = 0.12, I2 = 10%) and secondary patency at 1-year (OR 1.49, 95% CI 0.84–2.63, p = 0.17, I2 = 13%), and rate of infection (OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.30–1.27, p = 0.19, I2 = 29%) were also similar between the tapered and non-tapered AVG. Conclusions: The risk of ischemic steal syndrome and patency rate are comparable for upper extremity tapered and non-tapered AVGs. This meta-analysis does not support the routine use of tapered graft over non-tapered graft to prevent ischemic steal syndrome in upper extremity dialysis access. However, due to small number of studies and sample sizes as well as limited stratification of outcomes based on risk factors, future studies should take such limitations into account while designing more robust protocols to elucidate this issue.

Coverage of posttraumatic and chronic wounds at the distal leg is a difficult problem due to limited soft tissue available for local flaps. The sural flap is a versatile and effective method for reconstruction in this area since it does not need a significant amount of time or assistance to complete. Improving the survival of these flaps is critically dependent on understanding the basics of flap circulation and why recent modifications were introduced. This review will serve as a much-needed comprehensive analysis of these topics for surgeons looking to increase the reliability of their sural flaps.

A total of 133,069 CEAs were performed in 120,754 patients. The majority of CEAs were performed for asymptomatic disease (84.1%), with rates increasing for symptomatic disease in recent years (Table I). The majority of symptomatic disease was previous stroke/infarct (74.6%), followed by TIA (14.1%), then amaurosis fugax (11.2%). The rates of inhospital stroke were significantly higher for symptomatic disease than for asymptomatic disease (6.1% vs 0.5%; P < .001). The majority of CEAs for symptomatic disease were performed within 2 days of hospitalization (65.9%), followed by 3 to 7 days (28.3%), 8 to 14 days (5.2%), and >14 days (0.7%). Delay of CEA by 3 to 7 days after hospitalization was associated with lower postoperative stroke (OR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.37-0.41); however, waiting >14 days was not associated with a lower risk (Table II). Compared with TIA, amaurosis fugax was associated with a lower rate (OR, 0.15; 95%, CI, 0.08-0.30), and previous infarct/stroke was associated with a higher stroke rate (OR, 3.5; 95% CI, 2.68-4.51). Conclusions: Although this study found a significant association between lower postoperative stroke and CEA with delayed timing after admission up to 2 weeks, further studies including randomized controlled trials are needed to define the optimal timing of CEA for symptomatic carotid artery disease.