Distance from a tertiary care center is not a limiting factor in patient adherence to follow-up, patient graft-related morbidity, or patient survival, likely because of the Albuquerque VA Medical Center's electronic tracking of patients and provision of travel vouchers.

Dissection of the internal carotid artery is an under-recognized cause of transient ischemic attack and cerebral vascular accident. Spontaneous dissections, in which no precipitating cause can be identified, occur infrequently. Endovascular intervention is an evolving treatment option in patients in whom anticoagulation therapy alone is not adequate, who are not suitable candidates for major surgery, or who have extremely distal dissections that are difficult to access. We report a case of successful endovascular stenting and coil application in a patient with spontaneous dissection of the distal cervical internal carotid artery with extension to its petrous portion and an accompanying pseudoaneurysm at the level of the skull base.

Peoria, IL; Lackland Airforce Base, 7X; and Chicago, IL Pulmonary emboli, a potentially lethal venous thromboembolic complication, is a potentially preventable morbidity or mortality that surgeons should consider in the perioperative period or in high-risk patients. Prophylactic inferior vena cava (IVC) filter placement offers a high protection rate against fatal pulmonary emboli. This manuscript discusses the indications for filter placement, different types of currently available IVC filters, and problems and complications of filter placement and vena cava filters. Optional or retrievable IVC filters are also discussed. Overall, individual patient's clinical risks and benefits should be considered before vena cava filter placement. The new generation of optional filters may offer clinicians a new option of temporal risk reduction without the long-term complications that can be associated with permanent IVC filters.

No abstract

HBOC-201 more effectively restored and maintained perfusion pressures with lower volumes, and allowed for improved survival. These data suggest that hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers are superior to the current standard of care for resuscitation in far-forward military operations.