Vascular surgery Flashcards
What is Budd-Chiari syndrome and what 2 conditions can it present as
Hepatic vein obstruction causing ischaemia and hepatocyte damage, presenting with liver failure or insidious cirrhosis
3 sx and a finding on bloods for Budd-Chiari
Abdominal pain
Ascites
Hepatomegaly
Raised ALT
Causes of Budd-Chiari
Primary - hypercoagulable = pregnancy, malignancy, pill, polycythaemia rubra Vera, thrombophilia
Secondary - obstructive = liver, renal, adrenal tumour causing hepatic vein thrombus
Investigate Budd-Chiari
USS
Hepatic vein Doppler
CT/MRI
Manage Budd-Chiari
Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt (TIPS) or surgical shunt
Angioplasty
Anticoagulation lifelong unless varices
Consider transplant if fulminant hepatic necrosis or cirrhosis
5 causes of aneurysms in arteries
Atheroma
Trauma
Infection - mycotic aneurysm in endocarditis
Connective tissue disorders - Marfan’s, EDS
Inflammatory - Takayasu’s aortitis
What are true and false aneurysms?
True = abnormal dilatations of arteries, involving all layers of wall False/pseudoaneuryms = collections of blood ie after trauma, around vessel wall communicating with the lumen
What are the 2 types of artery aneurysms
Fusiform = both sides eg AAA = more common
Sac like = one side eg berry aneurysm
4 Common sites of artery aneurysms
Aorta (infrarenal)
Iliac
Femoral
Popliteal
5 complications of artery aneurysms
Rupture Thrombosis Embolism Fistulae Pressure on other structures
Sx of ruptured AAA - triad, plus 4
Triad: 1) back pain, 2) expansile pulsatile mass, 3) hypotension/shock (haemodynamically unstable)
Intermittent or continuous abdo pain radiating to back, iliac fossa or groin
Vomiting
Syncope
Retroperitoneal haemorrhage - Cullen’s and Grey-Turner’s signs
Preventing AAA - 2
Manage BP
Quit smoking, weight loss, exercise
Statins and aspirin
Regular USS for men if >65y
Emergency treatment of AAA - 7
- ECG
- Bloods for amylase, Hb and cross match 10-40u
- Catheterise
- 2 large bore cannulas
- O neg blood but keep systolic bp<100
- Prophylactic abx - cefuroxime and metronidazole IV
- Surgery - clamp aorta above leak and insert graft
Definition of arterial and aortic aneurysms
> 150% dilatation of original diameter
AAA = >3cm across
Cause of AAA
Degeneration of elastic lamellar and smooth muscle loss
Genetic component
Sx unruptured AAA
Often asymptomatic, can be discovered on abdo exam incidentally
May have abdo/back pain
Monitoring (2 levels) and elective surgery (3 conditions) on AAA
If <5.5cm, monitor by regular exam and US/CT: - 3-4 = /year - 4.5-5.5 = /3m Elective surgery if 1. >5.5 cm or 2. expanding at >1cm/y 3. or symptomatic
Risk factors for AAA rupture
Smoker
Raised BP
Female
Strong family history
Complication of elective surgical repair for AAA
Spinal or mesenteric ischaemia from dislodged thrombus debris
Surgery options for AAA, its pros and cons
If older, endovacular stent via femoral artery CT angiogram
+ = shorter hospital stay and fewer transfusions, less invasive, lower short term mortality
- = failure to totally exclude blood flow = endoleak; aneurysm may progress; higher risk of need for re-intervention
Younger patients = open surgery = clamp aorta and iliac arteries, remove and replace with prosthetic graft
What is thoracic aortic dissection and what can it cause at different places?
Blood splits aortic media with sudden tearing chest pain +- radiating to back, sequentially occluding branches of aorta
- hemiplegia - carotid artery
- unequal arm pulses and BP
- acute limb ischaemia
- paraplegia - anterior spinal artery
- anuria - renal arteries
- aortic incompetence and inferior MI - more proximal movement
2 types of thoracic aortic dissection and relevance to treatment
Type A = ascending aorta involved - consider for surgery
Type B = ascending aorta not involved - may be managed medically unless leaking, ruptured or compromising vital organs
Manage thoracic aortic dissection
Crossmatch 10u blood
ECG and CXR - expanded mediastinum is rare
CT/MRI or TransOesophageal Echocardiography (TOE)
Hypotensive to keep systolic BP at 100-110 = labetalol IVI
Early and late signs of limb ischaemia
Early - pain, pallor, pulseless
Late - paraesthesia, perishingly cold, paralysis
5 risk factors for limb ischaemia
Smoking Hypertension Diabetes MI AF
Investigate acute limb ischaemia and when
CT angiogram for anatomical delineation and urgent vascular review
Within 6h or irreversible tissue damage
3 causes of acute limb ischaemia
- Thrombosis in situ (60%) - atheroma ruptures and thrombus forms on plaque’s cap - acute or acute on chronic
- Embolisation - proximal thrombus travels distally, from AF, post-MI, AAA, prosthetic heart valve
- Trauma - compartment syndrome
Investigations for acute limb ischaemia - 3
Serum lactate
Doppler USS
CT angiography and arteriography for pre op locating
Manage acute limb ischaemia - 5
- Oxygen and IV access
- Heparin - IVi
- Surgery
- embolus = embolectomy with fogarty catheter, local intraarterial thrombolysis (tissue plasminogen activator) or bypass
- thrombus = angioplasty, local intraarterial thrombolysis or bypass
- amputate if mottled, non-blanching or woody muscles - Look for emboli source with USS of aorta, popliteal and femoral arteries, annd echo
- Manage risk factors and give antiplatelet (clopidogrel or low dose aspirin)
Complications of limb ischaemia
Reperfusin injury due to sudden increase in capillary permeability - can cause compartment syndrome and substance release = hyperkalaemia, acidosis and rhabdomyolysis
4 levels of acute ischaemia and prognosis
1 = viable, no sensory or motor deficit - only level with arterial and venous Dopplers 2a = marginal, salvageable with prompt treatment, minor sensory loss, no motor deficit - venous Doppler only 2b = immediately threatened but salvageable if immediately revascularised, sensory loss and pain at rest, mild motor deficit - venous Doppler only 3 = irreversible major tissue loss with permanent nerve damage, profound sensory and motor deficit - no dopplers
What is chronic limb ischaemia
Peripheral artery disease causing symptomatic reduction in blood supply to limbs, due to atherosclerosis
Staging of chronic limb ischaemia
Fontaine classification:
- Asymptomatic
- Intermittent claudication
- Ischaemic rest pain
- Ulceration/gangrene
Differentials for chronic limb ischaemia
Spinal stenosis - lateral radiating pain, better sitting than standing
Acute ischaemia - <14d
3 key features of critical limb ischaemia, plus other features
- ABPI <0.5
- Rest pain >2w requiring opioids, better when hanging legs off side of bed
- Ischaemic lesions/gangrene
Pale and cold, weak/absent pulses, hair loss, atrophic skin, thickened nails
What is the condition of peripheral arterial disease affecting buttock and thigh?
Leriche syndrome - peripheral arterial disease at aortic bifurcation causes buttock/thigh pain and erectile dysfunction
Investigating chronic limb ischaemia and findings - 7
- ABPI:
>0.9 = normal
0.8-9 = mild
0.5-8 = moderate
<0.5 = severe
[>1.2 = calcification - falsely high) - Doppler USS for severity and location
- CT angiography
- CV risk assessment - BP, BM, lipids, ECG
- Rule out other features - arteritis (ESR/CRP), anaemia/infection (fbc), renal disease (U&Es)
- Thrombophilia screen and homocysteine levels if <50y and no risk factors
- Buerger’s - angle <20 and cap refil >15s = severe ischaemia
Manage chronic limb ischaemia - 2 areas
CVS risk factors - smoking, exercise, weight
- statins, antiplatelets, diabetes control
Surgical - percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (stent) and bypass graft if diffuse
- amputate if unsuitable/gangrene
Complications of chronic limb ischaemia - 4
Infected gangrene causing sepsis
Acute on chronic ischaemia
Amputation
Mobility and quality of life reduced