In this episode: active smoking doesn't raise early risk after complex aortic stent graft repair, a "sweet spot" for timing symptomatic carotid procedures, drug-coated devices fail to save more limbs in patients with wounds or gangrene, clearing chronic venous obstruction helps stubborn post-thrombotic ulcers heal, and catheters carry a mortality penalty even in the oldest dialysis patients.

Aortic disease: In nearly 700 elective fenestrated-branched repairs for complex aneurysms, active smokers had no higher 30-day mortality or major complications than former or never smokers, so cessation should be pushed but repair not delayed on smoking alone.
Rodrigues DVS, et al. Impact of Active Smoking in Peri-operative Outcomes of Patients Undergoing FB-EVAR for Thoracoabdominal and Complex Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms. J Endovasc Ther (Impact Factor 1.5). 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42773082/

Carotid disease: In 821 procedures for symptomatic carotid disease, revascularization at days 3-14 gave the best early and long-term results, while treatment within 48 hours carried higher perioperative risk and delays beyond 14 days more reinterventions.
Sanchez-Calderin D, et al. Early Revascularization in Symptomatic Carotid Artery Disease Leads to Better Outcomes: A Ten-Year Multi-Center Cohort Analysis. J Vasc Surg (Impact Factor 3.9). 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42767435/

Peripheral arterial disease: In 1,761 SWEDEPAD-1 patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia and tissue loss, paclitaxel-coated devices did not improve limb salvage, showed more early amputations, and their one-year reintervention benefit faded once limb loss was counted.
Sellgren F, et al. Paclitaxel-Coated Devices in Patients With Chronic Limb-Threatening Ischemia and Tissue Loss Undergoing Infrainguinal Endovascular Revascularization: Insights From the SWEDEPAD-1 Trial. Circ Cardiovasc Interv (Impact Factor 7.2). 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42779544/

Venous disease: In a small multicenter series of long-standing post-thrombotic venous ulcers, mechanical thrombectomy with venoplasty or stenting as needed left all wounds healed or healing at short follow-up; no control group.
Mouawad NJ, et al. Mechanical Thrombectomy for Post-Thrombotic Venous Obstruction is Associated with Venous Wound Healing. J Vasc Surg Venous Lymphat Disord (Impact Factor 3.1). 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42762889/

Dialysis access: In a Korean nationwide cohort of nearly 80,000 hemodialysis patients, permanent catheters were linked to roughly threefold higher mortality than fistulas, a gap that persisted in octogenarians and nonagenarians.
Park JU, et al. Mortality risk associated with permanent central venous catheter use in the oldest-old population: a nationwide cohort study. Korean J Intern Med (Impact Factor 2.2). 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42754529/

All studies retrieved via PubMed.

Educational content only. Not medical advice. Consult your own clinical judgment and institutional protocols for any individual patient.

In this episode: a major randomized trial finds that fixing a symptom-free narrowed carotid artery doesn't sharpen memory, a large registry study finds no single winner among three ways to preserve arm blood flow during complex chest aortic repair, a cost model favors simpler over fancier exercise programs for claudication, catheter-based clot removal proves feasible in the sickest pulmonary embolism patients, and a review makes the case for the leg as a real dialysis-access option once the arm is exhausted.

Aortic disease: A multicenter registry study of left subclavian artery revascularization during zone 2 thoracic endovascular aortic repair found similar mortality, stroke, and spinal cord injury across carotid-subclavian bypass, branched, and fenestrated approaches, though bypass involved more blood loss, longer procedures, and lower technical success than the fully endovascular options.
Baghbani A, et al. Comparative outcomes of open and endovascular left subclavian artery revascularization during zone 2 thoracic endovascular aortic repair. J Vasc Surg (Impact Factor 3.9). 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42754184/

Carotid disease: Prespecified cognitive testing from the CREST-2 randomized trials found no meaningful difference in cognitive function at four years between patients who underwent carotid stenting or endarterectomy plus intensive medical management and those managed with medication alone for asymptomatic severe stenosis.
Lazar RM, et al. Revascularization of Asymptomatic Carotid Artery Stenosis: Cognitive Results of the CREST-2 Randomized Trials. JAMA (Impact Factor 65.4). 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42747844/

Peripheral arterial disease: An economic evaluation built on the MAXIMISE trial found supervised exercise programs for intermittent claudication were cost-effective compared with unsupervised exercise, with the strongest evidence favoring a simpler, shorter walking protocol over more intensive cycling regimens.
Chivardi C, et al. Cost Effectiveness of Supervised Exercise Programmes for Intermittent Claudication: An Economic Evaluation Based on the MAXIMISE Study. Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg (Impact Factor 6.8). 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42753907/

Venous disease: A single-center Danish case series found large-bore mechanical thrombectomy for intermediate-high and high-risk pulmonary embolism was technically successful and improved right heart function, including in patients who had already suffered cardiac arrest or could not safely receive clot-dissolving medication.
Dragsbaek SJ, et al. Large-bore mechanical thrombectomy in intermediate-high and high-risk pulmonary embolism: a retrospective single-centre case series. Scand Cardiovasc J (Impact Factor 1.4). 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42720249/

Dialysis access: A systematic review and meta-analysis of lower-extremity hemodialysis access found it a viable salvage option once upper-extremity access is exhausted, with autogenous fistulas outperforming synthetic grafts for durability and infection risk.
Alanezi N, Alofisan Y. Outcomes of Lower-Extremity Hemodialysis Vascular Access: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Vasc Surg (Impact Factor 3.9). 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42754185/

All studies retrieved via PubMed.

Educational content only. Not medical advice. Consult your own clinical judgment and institutional protocols for any individual patient.

In this episode: short-term air pollution spikes are linked to a higher risk of acute aortic dissection, a large database finds no clear winner between two carotid stenting techniques for asymptomatic disease, minimally invasive treatment matches open bypass long-term for claudication, skipping clot-busting drugs before delayed rib resection works well for Paget-Schroetter syndrome, and a stent graft's success at one narrowed spot doesn't protect a dialysis graft's whole circuit.

Aortic disease: A case-crossover study using each patient as their own control found short-term spikes in fine-particle air pollution, especially soot from combustion, were linked to a meaningfully higher risk of type A aortic dissection in the following day or two.
Lei M, et al. Associations of Fine Particulate Matter Components With Acute Aortic Dissection: A Time-Stratified Case-Crossover Study. J Am Heart Assoc (Impact Factor 6.0). 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42714430/

Carotid disease: A national database study matching patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis found no significant difference in four-year stroke risk between neck-based transcarotid stenting and traditional groin-based stenting, with the authors cautioning a numerical trend likely reflects patient selection rather than true benefit.
Chen H, et al. Transcarotid Artery Revascularization Versus Carotid Artery Stenting for Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis. Stroke (Impact Factor 7.9). 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42734077/

Peripheral arterial disease: A Medicare-linked registry study of claudication patients found a less invasive endovascular approach had more early limb events than open bypass at one year, but the two converged by three and five years for limb events, progression, and survival.
Bellomo TR, et al. Patterns of Index Endovascular Compared With Surgical Revascularization for Femoropopliteal Disease in Patients With Claudication Using Medicare-linked Data. Ann Surg (Impact Factor 7.4). 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42733139/

Venous disease: A single-center series found that skipping clot-busting medication and using anticoagulation alone before delayed first rib resection for Paget-Schroetter syndrome achieved complete vein clearance in most patients and durable symptom relief at midterm follow-up.
Alkhani M, et al. Midterm Outcomes after Delayed First Rib Resection for Acute Axillosubclavian Deep Vein Thrombosis in Paget-Schroetter Syndrome. J Vasc Surg Venous Lymphat Disord (Impact Factor 3.1). 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42732805/

Dialysis access: A multicenter Japanese study of covered stents for dialysis graft outflow narrowing found the treated segment held up well, but the access circuit still failed early and often because new problems shifted to the untreated graft body itself.
Suemitsu K, Murakami M, Miyamoto M. Two-Year Patency and Reintervention Patterns of Stent Graft Placement for Arteriovenous Graft Outflow Stenosis From a Prospective Multicenter Study. J Endovasc Ther (Impact Factor 1.5). 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42723439/

All studies retrieved via PubMed.

Educational content only. Not medical advice. Consult your own clinical judgment and institutional protocols for any individual patient.

In this episode: aneurysm surveillance after endovascular repair may be better guided by graft seal integrity than by isolated side-branch leaks, a pooled review of carotid stenting versus surgery finds each trades one risk for another, a newer blood-thinner combination cuts amputations after below-the-knee angioplasty, upper-arm blood clots behave differently depending on cancer status and catheter involvement, and surgical revision far outperforms balloon angioplasty for failing dialysis fistulas.

Aortic disease: A multicenter study following endovascular aneurysm repair patients for years found that basing reintervention on graft seal integrity, rather than on sac growth or isolated side-branch leaks, led to very low rupture rates — no rupture was tied to an isolated side-branch leak alone.
Serizawa F, et al. Rupture Prevention After EVAR Focused on Sealing Zone Integrity. J Vasc Surg (Impact Factor 3.9). 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42716261/

Carotid disease: An umbrella review pooling over twenty meta-analyses found carotid stenting carries somewhat higher stroke, death, and restenosis risk than surgery, while surgery carries higher heart attack and nerve injury risk — reinforcing individualized procedure selection over a universal preference.
Wu J, Guo Y, Li J, Lu W, Cheng G, Hu Q. An umbrella review and second-order meta-analysis of CAS versus CEA for carotid stenosis. Front Neurol (Impact Factor 2.8). 2026;17:1910597. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42718435/

Peripheral arterial disease: In patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia treated with below-the-knee balloon angioplasty, a low-dose blood thinner plus aspirin was associated with fewer major amputations and fewer repeat procedures than traditional dual antiplatelet therapy, without more bleeding.
Abdelmalak M, Abdelaziz I, Abdulaal U, Rabee H, Algaby A. Dual Pathway Inhibition Versus Dual Antiplatelet Therapy Following Isolated Tibial Balloon Angioplasty for Chronic Limb-Threatening Ischemia. J Vasc Surg (Impact Factor 3.9). 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42710605/

Venous disease: A large international registry analysis of upper extremity deep vein thrombosis found catheter-associated clots carried a better prognosis than non-catheter clots in cancer patients, but a worse one in patients without cancer — arguing against a one-size-fits-all anticoagulation approach.
Debourdeau P, et al. Clinical Outcomes of Upper Extremity Deep Vein Thrombosis According to Cancer Status and Catheter Association: A RIETE Registry Analysis. J Thromb Haemost (Impact Factor 5.2). 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42705547/

Dialysis access: A single-center review of over a thousand patients treated for failing dialysis fistulas found one-year patency was far higher after surgical revision than after balloon angioplasty, especially for heavy clot burden or narrowing near the collarbone, though patients were not randomized.
Aslan M, Kış M. Surgical versus endovascular management in hemodialysis arteriovenous fistula dysfunction: Single-center results. J Vasc Access (Impact Factor 2.0). 2026;27(5):2374-2384. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42338055/

All studies retrieved via PubMed.

Educational content only. Not medical advice. Consult your own clinical judgment and institutional protocols for any individual patient.

In this episode: certain chemotherapy drugs, not cancer or radiation, speed up aortic aneurysm growth, transcarotid revascularization looks safer for mildly narrowed symptomatic carotid arteries, anemia affects one in five claudication patients yet goes largely untreated, a preoperative leg ultrasound measurement predicts postoperative clots, and a torn fistula-feeding artery during angioplasty doesn't compromise outcomes.

Aortic disease: A multicenter Brazilian study found cancer diagnosis and radiotherapy did not accelerate abdominal aortic aneurysm growth, but three chemotherapy drug classes independently did — a reason to flag known aneurysms to oncology teams and reconsider surveillance intervals when these drugs start.
Kumakura HS, et al. Chemotherapy is associated with faster abdominal aortic aneurysm growth in patients with concomitant cancer in a multicenter cohort. Clinics (Sao Paulo) (Impact Factor 2.4). 2026;81:101099. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42702108/

Carotid disease: A national registry analysis of patients revascularized for mild but symptomatic carotid narrowing found transcarotid artery revascularization with flow reversal had a lower perioperative stroke rate than endarterectomy or transfemoral stenting — an advantage specific to mild disease, absent at higher stenosis grades.
Abdelkarim A, Kricfalusi M, Abdullah A, Hamouda M, Elkhatib S, Abou-Zamzam A, Malas MB. Outcomes of Carotid Revascularization in Patients with Symptomatic Mildly Stenotic Carotid Disease. Ann Vasc Surg (Impact Factor 1.6). 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42697320/

Peripheral arterial disease: A vascular clinic review found roughly one in five claudication patients had anemia, most untreated, and that anemic patients had significantly higher cardiovascular event and mortality rates over two years — a common, actionable gap.
Hong JS, Loy G, Sivaharan A, Sillito S, Nandhra S, El-Sayed T. Anaemia prevalence, characterisation, and clinical impact in intermittent claudication. Ann Vasc Surg (Impact Factor 1.6). 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42697327/

Venous disease: A prospective study in orthopedic surgery patients found a preoperative ultrasound measurement of deep vein shape, combined with a routine clotting marker, strongly predicted postoperative deep vein thrombosis — potentially useful for individualizing prophylaxis intensity.
Tian F, An L, Gu F, Chen X, Liu L. Preoperative Venous Circumference-Squared-to-Area Ratio (C2/A) and D-dimer for Deep Vein Thrombosis Prediction After Orthopedic Surgery. J Vis Exp (Impact Factor 1.0). 2026;(235). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42695581/

Dialysis access: A single-center review of angioplasty for narrowed fistula feeding arteries found arterial rupture, when it occurred, was reliably managed with prolonged balloon inflation and compression, without any difference in one-year fistula patency versus unruptured cases.
Yin J, Wei J, Fu L, Wang W, Wang F. Clinical impact of radial artery rupture during percutaneous transluminal angioplasty for radiocephalic arteriovenous fistula dysfunction: A single-center retrospective study. J Int Med Res (Impact Factor 1.8). 2026;54(9). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42698295/

All studies retrieved via PubMed.

Educational content only. Not medical advice. Consult your own clinical judgment and institutional protocols for any individual patient.

In this episode: severe neck angulation drives leak risk during endovascular aneurysm repair, a reanalysis confirms CREST-2's carotid stenting benefit while endarterectomy fell short, most veterans with peripheral arterial disease aren't on high-intensity statins, specialists disagree widely on treating vulvar and pelvic-origin varicose veins, and Medicare reimbursement for dialysis access keeps falling nationwide.

Aortic disease: A national registry analysis of endovascular aneurysm repair found that hostile neck anatomy raised the risk of an intraoperative top-end leak, with severe neck angulation emerging as the dominant driver in stepwise fashion, while neck diameter barely mattered — arguing for angle-specific caution, not a single checkbox.
Soucy JW, Samaan F, Zil-E-Ali A, et al. Hostile Aortic Neck Anatomy Increases Risk of Intraoperative Type I Endoleak After Endovascular Aneurysm Repair: Analysis of the Vascular Quality Initiative. J Surg Res (Impact Factor 1.6). 2026;325:211-221. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42335617/

Carotid disease: A reanalysis of CREST-2 using a single combined control group, rather than each intervention's own separate comparison arm, confirmed that adding carotid stenting to modern medical therapy significantly reduced stroke while adding endarterectomy did not reach significance — ruling out imbalanced control groups as the explanation.
Musialek P, Malinowski K, Tekieli L, et al. CREST-2 findings are unchanged using an aggregated control group for the CAS and CEA trial. Adv Interv Cardiol (Impact Factor 2.0). 2026;22(2):178-189. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42598485/

Peripheral arterial disease: A national veterans' health system study found most patients with newly diagnosed peripheral arterial disease were on a statin within a year, but only about a third were on the high-intensity dosing guidelines recommend, with real site-to-site variation in prescribing.
Nathani R, Nguyen C, Li Q, et al. Statins Use in Veterans With Peripheral Artery Disease: Insights From the PEARLS Study. Circ Popul Health Outcomes (Impact Factor 6.9). 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42683524/

Venous disease: An international survey of vascular specialists and interventional radiologists found wide, roughly even variation in how vulvar and pelvic-origin varicose veins are evaluated and treated — from classification use to whether pelvic embolization or direct varicosity treatment comes first — highlighting a real evidence gap.
Cramer P, Scherer K, Winokur RS, Khilnani N. Vulvar and Pelvic Origin Lower Extremity Varicose Veins: A Survey of Current Evaluation and Management. J Vasc Surg Venous Lymphat Disord (Impact Factor 3.1). 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42679966/

Dialysis access: An analysis of national Medicare billing data found reimbursement for both open and endovascular dialysis access procedures declined broadly from 2019 to 2023, across every region and every specialty performing the work, raising concerns about long-term access to this care.
Koh DJ, Tao B, Farber A, et al. Regional and specialty-specific Medicare reimbursement trends in open and endovascular dialysis access interventions. J Vasc Surg (Impact Factor 3.9). 2026;84(3):745-752. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42269703/

All studies retrieved via PubMed.

Educational content only. Not medical advice. Consult your own clinical judgment and institutional protocols for any individual patient.

In this episode: octogenarians are increasingly treated endovascularly for complex abdominal aortic aneurysms but still carry higher risk than younger patients, adding low-dose rivaroxaban to aspirin doesn't further reduce carotid plaque inflammation on PET imaging, loss of the Y chromosome in blood cells predicts peripheral arterial disease in men, anticoagulation alone for iliofemoral deep vein thrombosis leaves lasting vein damage in most patients, and earlier fistula-readiness assessment shortens dialysis catheter dependence.

Aortic disease: A Portuguese registry study of complex abdominal aortic aneurysm repair found octogenarians are now treated endovascularly, especially with fenestrated/branched grafts, far more often than younger patients, yet still face higher 30-day complications and lower one-year survival — supporting careful patient selection as less invasive options expand.
Ribeiro TF, Quintas A, Ferreira ME, Gonçalves FB. Evolving Practice Trends and Short Term Outcomes of Octogenarians Undergoing Complex Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair in Portugal. Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg. 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42680061/

Carotid disease: A randomized trial in patients with inflamed but asymptomatic carotid plaque found adding low-dose rivaroxaban to aspirin produced no additional reduction in plaque inflammation on PET imaging over one year compared with aspirin alone, with slightly more minor bleeding and no difference in major events.
Kim TO, Han S, Ryu J, et al. Effect of low-dose rivaroxaban plus aspirin on 18F-FDG PET/CT-detectable carotid plaque inflammation: a randomized trial. Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging. 2026;27(9):1728-1740. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42439277/

Peripheral arterial disease: A UK Biobank cohort of over 170,000 men followed for a decade-plus found that hematopoietic loss of the Y chromosome, a common age-related blood-cell change, independently predicted incident symptomatic peripheral arterial disease, raising the possibility of a future blood-based risk marker.
Li C, Tang D, Hussain SM, et al. Hematopoietic loss of Y chromosome and risk of symptomatic peripheral artery disease in men. Atherosclerosis. 2026;420:121859. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42508147/

Venous disease: A study with at least five years of follow-up in patients treated with anticoagulation alone for iliofemoral deep vein thrombosis found most affected limbs had persistent edema, a meaningful share had skin changes or ulcers, and post-thrombotic syndrome was significantly more common than in the patients' own unaffected leg.
Labropoulos N, Javvaji A, Gasparis A, Vedantham S. The long-term clinical impact of iliofemoral deep vein thrombosis. J Vasc Surg Venous Lymphat Disord. 2026;14(5):102551. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42251889/

Dialysis access: A before-and-after study found that earlier, more systematic fistula-readiness assessment significantly shortened time to first cannulation and catheter removal compared with a fixed waiting period, with no increase in fistula complications.
Shah P, Ginsberg E, Chauhan S, Guida N, Shah T. Early Access Protocol Reduces Time to Arteriovenous Fistula Cannulation and Catheter Dependency. Ann Vasc Surg. 2026;130:480-485. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42176973/

All studies retrieved via PubMed.

Educational content only. Not medical advice. Consult your own clinical judgment and institutional protocols for any individual patient.

In this episode: a cost-utility model questions whether the traditional size threshold for treating abdominal aortic aneurysm in men still holds up under contemporary rupture-risk estimates, early neointima thickness on ultrasound after carotid stenting flags who's headed toward restenosis, a review lays out how peripheral arterial disease looks and behaves differently in women versus men, a large Catalonia cohort finds many chronic venous disease referrals are for asymptomatic varicose veins that may not need a specialist, and a routine blood test emerges as a possible preoperative predictor of arteriovenous fistula maturation failure.

Aortic disease: A contemporary cost-utility model finds that the long-standing size threshold for treating abdominal aortic aneurysm in men may no longer be efficient if today's lower rupture-risk estimates are accurate, with open repair potentially doing more harm than good under those assumptions; the authors call it a reason to revisit the evidence, not to change practice yet.
Columbo JA, Scali ST, Wanhainen A, et al. Is 5.5 cm Still the Optimal Size Threshold to Treat AAA in Men? A Contemporary Cost-utility Analysis. Ann Surg. 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42307253/

Carotid disease: Serial ultrasound after carotid artery stenting shows the healing tissue layer inside the stent typically forms within the first few months, and its thickness, along with stent design, predicts later in-stent restenosis — supporting closer early surveillance in patients developing a thicker layer.
Kuwabara M, Ishii D, Hara T, et al. Impact of in-stent neointima and its association with in-stent restenosis after carotid artery stenting. Eur J Radiol. 2026;202:112944. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42172739/

Peripheral arterial disease: A review of sex differences in peripheral arterial disease finds women present later, with more atypical symptoms and more diffuse disease, yet achieve similar or better limb salvage after endovascular treatment than men, despite more repeat procedures and periprocedural complications.
Shammas NW. Sex Differences in Peripheral Arterial Disease: Presentation, Treatment, and Outcomes. Int J Angiol. 2026;35(3):170-173. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42603072/

Venous disease: A retrospective review of over 265,000 primary-care referrals to vascular specialists in Catalonia found more than a third were for asymptomatic varicose veins with no signs or symptoms of disease, suggesting many referrals could be avoided with clearer primary-care guidance.
Casado-Fernández R, Benito-Aracil L, Zuriguel-Pérez E, et al. Demographic and clinical profile of individuals diagnosed with chronic venous disease referred to a vascular specialist. J Vasc Nurs. 2026;44(3):207-215. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42637492/

Dialysis access: A multiomics and clinical cohort study identifies an enzyme measurable on routine preoperative bloodwork whose higher levels are independently associated with arteriovenous fistula maturation failure, offering a potential low-cost marker for preoperative risk stratification.
Si T, Yu H, Shen Z, et al. Preoperative Serum Alkaline Phosphatase Predicts Arteriovenous Fistula Maturation Failure. Kidney Int Rep. 2026;11(9):106687. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42569269/

All studies retrieved via PubMed.

Educational content only. Not medical advice. Consult your own clinical judgment and institutional protocols for any individual patient.

Aortic disease: A 10-year single-center review of imaging after thoracic aortic surgery found substantial imaging volume but a low rate of actionable findings; most reinterventions were caught during elective, not emergency, surveillance, supporting more individualized follow-up intervals.
Kurvinen HJ, Mennander A, Uimonen M. Surveillance after thoracic aortic surgery yields to low number of reinterventions: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Interdiscip Cardiovasc Thorac Surg. 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42647191/

Carotid disease: An updated Cochrane review of 15 randomized trials found synthetic and biological patches perform similarly for stroke, death, and restenosis after carotid endarterectomy; evidence for rarer complications like perioperative rupture and late pseudoaneurysm remains too thin to draw conclusions.
Phirom K, Orrapin S, Benyakorn T, et al. Synthetic versus biological patches for carotid endarterectomy. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2026;8:CD000071. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42635089/

Peripheral arterial disease: In 120 femoropopliteal in-stent restenosis or stent thrombosis cases, rotational excisional atherectomy achieved greater immediate luminal gain and higher six-month patency than excimer or solid-state laser atherectomy before angioplasty.
Proczka MS, Horton CE, Macech M, Ricotta JJ, Ricotta JJ. Effects of Atherectomy on Immediate Luminal Gain and Short-Term Patency in Patients With In-Stent Restenosis With or Without Stent Thrombosis. J Endovasc Ther. 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42661157/

Venous disease: A prospective study of endovenous laser ablation for incompetent Giacomini vein (83 limbs, mean follow-up over two years) found high technical success, durable occlusion, and significant improvement in clinical severity and quality-of-life scores, with no major complications.
Babić S, Milačić A, Slović B, et al. Outcomes of Endovenous Laser Ablation in Patients with Incompetent Giacomini Vein. J Vasc Surg Venous Lymphat Disord. 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42668115/

Dialysis access: A 10-year review of 201 patients with high-flow surgically created dialysis access found progressive cardiac remodeling starting at six months, with right ventricular dilation or dysfunction independently associated with early mortality — supporting cardiac surveillance alongside access monitoring.
Abdullah K, Bertolino EP, Sorour AA, et al. Long Term Echocardiographic Trajectories After High Flow Vascular Access Creation. J Vasc Surg. 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42648561/

All studies retrieved via PubMed.

Educational content only. Not medical advice. Consult your own clinical judgment and institutional protocols for any individual patient.

Aortic disease: A fully automated AI pipeline segments the ascending thoracic aorta on contrast CT, measures maximum diameter, and uses radiomic features to predict surgical candidacy. In 335 patients, automated measurements closely matched expert manual measurements, and the model predicted who would go on to need surgery with reasonable accuracy — a promising decision-support tool that still needs larger, prospective validation.
Livolsi C, Nioi L, Castelbuono S, et al. AI-based Framework for Automated Segmentation and Surgical Decision Support in Ascending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm. IEEE J Biomed Health Inform. 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42658698/

Carotid disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 32 studies and nearly 6,700 patients with radiation-induced carotid artery stenosis found perioperative outcomes similar to non-irradiated patients, but restenosis and reintervention three to four times more common long-term, with stenting faring worse than endarterectomy within the irradiated group — supporting endarterectomy when feasible and closer long-term surveillance.
Inal E, Meschia JF, Jeevaratnam S, et al. Outcomes After Intervention in Radiation-Induced Carotid Artery Stenosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Ann Vasc Surg. 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42637117/

Peripheral arterial disease: In 124 peripheral artery disease patients with no known coronary disease undergoing elective vascular surgery, coronary CT-derived quantitative plaque burden and flow-limiting disease (CT-FFR) independently predicted five-year mortality; 53% had previously undiagnosed silent coronary ischemia, and patients with both high plaque burden and flow-limiting disease had a markedly higher death rate.
Krievins D, Jegere S, Arko F, et al. Coronary plaque burden and computed tomography-derived fractional flow reserve are predictors of 5-year mortality in peripheral artery disease patients with no known coronary artery disease. J Vasc Surg Cases Innov Tech. 2026;12(5):102361. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42564993/

Venous disease: A prospective Vietnamese cohort of 77 patients with chronic venous disease found significantly improved sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) one month after endovenous ablation with phlebectomy, with the share of poor sleepers dropping from 66% to 42%; sleep efficiency and medication use were unchanged, and the study lacked a control group.
Huyen Trang HN, Vy HT, Cam Van NN, et al. Sleep quality after endovenous ablation with concomitant phlebectomy in patients with chronic venous disease: A prospective observational study in Vietnam. J Vasc Surg Cases Innov Tech. 2026;12(5):102358. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42494507/

Dialysis access: The IN.PACT AV Access randomized trial's updated analysis of 330 patients shows drug-coated balloon angioplasty maintaining target lesion patency longer than plain balloon angioplasty across nearly every anatomic and demographic subgroup through 36 months, with the largest benefit in restenotic lesions, and no excess mortality signal for the drug-coated balloon through 60 months.
Holden A, Haruguchi H, Suemitsu K, et al. IN.PACT AV Access randomized trial update: 3-year clinical results by anatomic and demographic subsets and 5-year extension mortality analysis. CVIR Endovasc. 2026;9(1). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42616238/