Vascular Disease and Vascular Surgery Flashcards
Stages of an ulcer
- Based upon depth
- Stage 1: Nonblanching erythema (only into epidermis, not down to dermis)
- Stage 2: Dermis exposed
- Stage 3: Fascia exposed
- Stage 4: Muscle/bone exposed
Pressure ulcers
- Due to persistent compression of an area in those who are bedridden or wheelchair bound. May indicated neglect if patient is a nursing home resident.
- Most common areas: Buttocks, heel/over the calcaneus
- Dx: Clinical
- Tx: q2h rolls, move around / oob if possible, air-mattresses
- Necrotic tissue: debridement
- If cellulitis: Abx
Diabetic ulcers
- Path: Microvascular changes + neuropathy
- Neuropathy must be present for this to be the diagnosis
- Pres: Ulcers on heels and balls of feet that are NOT PAINFUL
- Dx: Clinical
- Tx: Control blood glucose, elevate legs
- May need to amputate
- Ppx: Diabetic foot exams, make sure patient as good shoes
Arterial insufficiency ulcers
- Path: Peripheral arterial disease
- Pres: Hairless legs, shiny-scaly skin, absent pulses, often in smoker, present in tips of toes
- Dx: That of PAD – ankle brachial index, US w/ doppler, angiogram
- Tx: Stent (small lesions above knee) or bypass graft (popliteal artery or any large length lesion)
Venous stasis ulcers
- Path: Venous insufficiency
- Pres: Edema will be present with some predisposing condition, stasis dermatitis (hyperpigmentation from hemosiderin deposition), induration, classically on medial maleolus
- Dx: Clinical
- Tx: Compression stockings, elevate legs, diuretics
Marjolin ulcer
- Path: Squamous cell carcinoma
- Pres: Sinus tract, ulcer that breaks and heals over and over, heaped up margins
- Dx: Biopsy
- Tx: Wide resection
Abdominal aortic aneurysm
- Etiology: Atherosclerosis
- Pres: >65 year old male, current or former smoker with an asymptomatic pulsatile mass
- Men > 65 who have smoked get a one-time screening ultrasound
- Dx: US is preferred. CT scan may incidentally diagnose AAA, but suspected AAA is diagnosed by ultrasound.
- Tx is size dependent:
- 3-4 cm: screen q2y
- 4-5 cm: screen q1y
- 5.0-5.4 cm: screen q6mo
- >5.5 cm: Operate
- Increase of >0.5 cm/6 mo, operate.
- Operation is either endovascular repair or open surgery, both equally successful.
Emergent presentation of abdominal aortic aneurysm
Patient presents with tender pulsatile mass and back pain, with a smoking history.
The back pain is referred pain from the aorta, which is experiencing stretch from the pressure. Take to the ER emergently or their aorta will pop.
Aortic dissection
- Etiology: Chronic untreated hypertension
- Pres: Tearing chest pain that radiates to back, assymmetric blood pressures in arms, widened mediastinum
- Risk factors: Marfan syndrome, syphilis of the aorta
- Type A is ascending, Type B is descending
- Dx: CT angiogram looking for false lumen. If they have renal failure, TEE or MRI are preferred.
- Tx:
- Type A: Operate now. Evaluate for need to replace aortic valve.
- Type B: Treat medically w/ IV beta blockers.
Differentiating claudiation pain from spinal stenosis
- Claudication: Of distal extremities, non-positional pain
- Spinal stenosis: “Claudication” of buttocks, positional pain
Subtle physical exam findings of peripheral vascular disease
- Shiny shins
- Loss of hair
- Decreased pulse
- Lower temperature
Peripheral vascular disease
- Risk factors: HTN, DM, Hyperlipidemia, smoking, female, pre-existing CAD
-
Dx: ABI
- If above 1.4, vessel is calcified. Try TBI instead. (toe brachial)
- 1.0 - 1.3 is normal
- 0.9 - 1.0 is equivocal, f/u with exercise ABI
- 0.8-0.9 is mild PVD
- 0.4-0.8 is moderate PVD
- <0.4 is severe PVD
- If positive, f/u with US w/ doppler
- If positive, f/u with CT angiogram
- Tx:
- Whether or not to pursue angioplasty and stenting (above knee or small) or bypass grafting (below knee or large) is based upon utility of restoring perfusion – if person is active, sure. If bed-bound, maybe try medical management instead.
- Medical management: Same as CAD, but don’t use anticoagulants, just antiplatelets. Cilostazol or pentoxyphylline improve symptoms, but not outcomes, and both are contraindicated in CHF.
Acute limb ischemia
- Etiology: Cholesterol embolism following catheterization, clot embolism in AFIB, thrombus in setting of PVD
- Pres: 6 P’s:
- Pulseless
- Pale
- Poikilothermia (cold)
- Pain
- Paresthesias
- Paralysis
- Dx: US w/ doppler. If positive, emergent angiogram to identify vessel and reperfuse.
- Tx: Embolectomy or intra-arterial tPA.
- Complications: Compartment syndrome. If develops, need to cut open to relieve pressure.
Signs of neuropathic origin in a diabetic ulcer
- Decreased touch sensation, reflexes, vibration sense (Not done routinely)
- Location often plantar surface
- Foot becomes “claw foot”, more prominent metatarsal heads
To rule out osteomyelitis in an ulcer, you should. . .
. . . probe it.
If you hit bone, you should be suspecting osteomyelitis. If not, it is pretty unlikely.
Popliteal entrapment syndrome
- Etiology:
- Can be due to an excessively muscular calf compressing the artery
- Can be due to embryologic/anatomic defect involving an excess band of muscle or tendon which can easily compress the vessel
- Often presents with claudication
- Dx: Angiogram at rest and with extension/flexion of involved muscles. May be normal at rest and occlude with local muscle contraction.
- Tx: Resect obstructing tissue
Adventitial cystic disease
- Pathognomonic “scimitar sign” on imaging
- Condition in which a cyst forms in the adventitia of an artery and narrows or blocks blood flow
- Often presents with claudication
- Always on Ddx for popliteal entrapment syndrome
Characteristic imaging feature of IgA vasculitis (aka Berger’s disease)
Corkscrew collaterals
5 P’s of compartment syndrome
- Pain
- Parathesias
- Paralysis
- Pulselessness
- Poikilothermia (cold)
Post-embolectomy or thrombectomy patients are at high risk for ___, which can mimic ___.
Post-embolectomy or thrombectomy patients are at high risk for ischemia-reperfusion induced compartment syndrome, which can mimic deep vein thrombosis.
Usually, compartment syndrome will develop much sooner than you would expect to take a repeat DVT to form – on the order of hours for compartment syndrome vs days for DVT.
Categories of PAD
-
Intermittent claudication
- Mild PAD, noncalcified vessel ABI > 0.40
-
Critical limb ischemia
- Ischemic rest pain lasting > 2 weeks
- In noncalcified vessel, ABI < 0.40
- In calcified vessel, symptoms + toe pressure < 30 mmHg
- Skin changes
- Dependent rubor, elevation pallor
Leriche syndrome
- Triad of buttock / thigh claudication, impotence, and diminished femoral pulses
- This indicates iliac artery occlusive disease in a male
Generally speaking, interventions for arterial occlusive disease tend to work better in ___ than in ___.
Generally speaking, interventions for arterial occlusive disease tend to work better in large arteries than in small arteries.
Approach to type A, B, C, and D vascular stenotic lesions
Type A: Endovascular repair is the clearly favorable approach
Type B: Good results using endovascular repair, but open may be performed if it is needed for another lesion in the same anatomic region
Type C: Better long-term results with open revascularization than endovascular, so open should be performed unless patient is a high risk candidate for open surgery.
Type D: Poor results with endovascular treatment, open revascularization is the clear choice.
Treatment for arterial thromboembolism to distal extremity (in the setting of afib)
Heparinization and embolectomy
Catheter directed thrombolysis is an option, but it is too slow. We need to save this person’s extremity, so we have to act quickly.
Distinguishing vascular and neurogenic claudication
Vascular is going to be consistent, and will typically not be relieved by positional changes (except in the case where this increases bloodflow)
Neurogenic may be inconsistent and often be relieved by positional changes
Criteria for AAA repair
- Diameter > 5.5 cm in men OR > 5.0 cm in women
- Growth of > 0.5 cm / 6 months
- Symptomatic AAA (pain, distal embolic disease)
If an AAA does not meet criteria for repair, you. . . .
. . . monitor it
- 2.6-2.9 cm: every 5 years
- 3.0 to 3.4 cm: every 3 years
- 3.5 to 4.4 cm: every year
- 4.5 to 5.4 cm: every 6 months