
Aortic Abdominal Aneurysm Pilot Screening Programme
Aortic AneurysmAbdominalPopulational abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) pilot screening programme performed by duplex ultrasonography in population born in 1952 in health areas depending from Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau in Barcelona. Descriptive data analysis and cost-effectiveness study will be performed.

Evaluation of Implementation of a National Point-of-Care Ultrasound Training Program
Other Acute Illnesses Presenting to the HospitalHeart Failure9 moreThis VA QUERI Partnered Evaluation Initiative will evaluate the impact of an immersive Point-of-care Ultrasound (POCUS) Training Course on provider skill acquisition and retention; the frequency of POCUS use by trained providers; and the barriers/facilitators to POCUS in the VHA. Data sources include pre- and post-course assessment tools, medical coding data, and course evaluations. Providers that participate in the POCUS Training Course will be compared to control providers from wait-listed facilities. Additionally, participating facilities vs. wait-listed facilities for the POCUS Training Course will be compared. Findings from this project will guide ongoing efforts of the investigators' operating partners, VA Specialty Care Centers of Innovation (SCCI) and the VA Simulation Learning and Research Network (SimLEARN), to develop a national POCUS training program and facilitate implementation of POCUS use system-wide in the VA healthcare system.

Female Aneurysm Screening STudy
Abdominal Aortic AneurysmAn abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a swelling of the main blood vessel (aorta) in the abdomen. If the swelling gets too large the aorta can burst and this is usually fatal. In order to prevent rupture, AAA can be surgically repaired. This is usually carried out when the size of the AAA is more than 5.5cm in diameter as below this size, the risk of rupture is lower than the risk of surgery. AAA are usually asymptomatic before rupture but can easily and safely be diagnosed by ultrasound scanning. There is currently a national screening programme for men, but not women. Women are not screened for AAA on the basis that the disease is less common in females. However, 33.6% of all deaths caused by ruptured AAA in England and Wales are in females (1109 female deaths)1. Death rates due to ruptured AAA in men have nearly halved over the last decade but the reduction in female deaths over the same time period is less than one third. Females with AAA are also 4-times more likely to rupture their aneurysm and have higher rates of complications and death after emergency surgery than men. There are groups of females such as smokers, who are at high risk of AAA. The investigators have identified risk factors that are easily identifiable from general practice databases that may be able to identify women at high risk of AAA. In this research it will be determined whether it is feasible to select women for AAA screening using these risk factors, how many women in these high-risk groups attend if they are invited for AAA screening, and screen women to determine the numbers in the different risk groups who have AAA. This will allow the assessment of whether screening women for AAA could be clinically or cost effective and who would benefit the most. The investigators will also investigate if the siblings of patients with AAAs are at higher risk of disease by inviting them for screening too.

Circulating microRNAs and Degenerative Abdominal Aorta Aneurysm
Abdominal Aorta AneurysmAbdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is an aortic dilatation superior or equal to 30 mm with an estimated prevalence at 8% in men over 65 year-old. It evolves with no clinical signal until the rupture of the aortic wall with dramatic outcomes. The pathophysiological mechanisms include extracellular matrix remodeling, smooth muscle cells apoptosis, aggregation and activation of inflammatory cells in the aortic wall and heredity. The initiating and regulatory processes are complex and not fully elucidated. They encompass local aortic environment (flux, thrombus, wall shear stress, pressure and adipose tissue) and patient-dependent genetic (de)regulation. This project follows the previous prospective ACTA study that aimed at identifying clinical criteria, circulating biomarkers or imaging data for thoracic aneurysm prognosis in an AAA population. The preliminary results showed that 1) a low wall shear stress index and the luminal volume are more predictive values for a rapid AAA growth and an intraluminal thrombus than the maximal aortic diameter 2) three thoracic aortic phenotypes (normal, dilated, aneurysmal) stratify the disease extent 3) the age and the female gender are associated to an extended disease. During this study we created a biobank in which blood samples of AAA patients were collected at the time of their inclusion (T1). This new ACTA-miRNA study aims at correlating circulating biomarkers to the anatomical and biomechanical markers previously highlighted for a rapid aneurysmal growth. Circulating miRNA are involved in parietal remodeling and constitute promising targets for estimating patients-specific aortic risk. From the literature, we thus selected 18 miRNA described to be involved in AAA biology: inflammation, remodeling, cellular homeostasis and wall shear stress. As control, we select non-AAA patients presenting with peripheral arterial obstructive disease (PAOD) matched in age, BMI, tobacco consumption, diabetes, cholesterol level and blood pressure with AAA patients enrolled in the ACTA study. During their follow-up, these ACTA patients are solicited to continue the program research and can participate to the ACTA-miRNA study. A third time analysis is performed for them (T3): we collect imaging data of total aorta required by their standard follow-up, as well as a blood sample. Differential analysis of the miRNA panel will be conducted between 1) AAA patients (T1) vs PAOD patients 2) fast-growing AAA vs slow-growing AAA 3) AAA & AAT patient group vs AAA alone and/or AAA & dilatation of thoracic aorta. 110 patients from the ACTA study are eligible to be included into the ACTA mi-RNA study. Inclusion of PAOD controls will be conducted until the number of 165 cases is reached (1:1.5 ratio). Our primary objective is to validate a circulating-miRNA signature specific for abdominal aortic aneurysm.

The British Society of Endovascular Therapy ConformabLe EndoVascular Aneurysm Repair Registry
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Without RuptureThe purpose of the BSET-CLEVAR Registry is to collect device-specific performance outcomes of the GORE® EXCLUDER® Conformable AAA Endoprosthesis with ACTIVE CONTROL System (EXCC device) in routine clinical treatment of patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm in the UK. The novel EXCC device is an evolution of an established device allowing active shaping to conform to the specific patient aortic neck anatomy, with more accurate deployment, potentially greater neck coverage and better long term fixation/sealing. This may translate to improved effectiveness of this device over time, reducing the need for any further procedures. The primary aim of this study is to assess the degree of neck coverage by the EXCC device. The British Society of Endovascular Therapy (BSET) has received funds from the stent manufacturer (W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc.) to conduct this study. BSET and the Sponsor (Imperial College London) have full responsibility for the design, conduct, analysis and reporting of the study.

A Large Surgical Registry for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms (AAA)
Abdominal Aortic AneurismIn the spirit of improving patient safety and quality of healthcare in our region, the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council Education and Research Foundation (Foundation) and Baylor Research Institute sought and obtained federal funding support (AHRQ grant) to develop an Abdominal Aortic Aneurism (AAA) surgery registry in North Texas. Participating centers will directly benefit from this project and will have access to a de-identified version of the registry data through their collaboration. These data may be used for quality improvement initiatives and/or to conduct your own research. In summary, this effort represents a substantial investment (with no costs to facilities) in improving outcomes for patients with AAA.

TriVascular Post-Market Registry
Abdominal Aortic AneurysmThis is a prospective observational post-market study of subjects receiving the Ovation™ or Ovation Prime™ Abdominal Stent Graft System ("Ovation™ or Ovation Prime™ Abdominal Stent Graft System Post-Market Study") in the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). The Ovation™ or Ovation Prime™ Abdominal Stent Graft System Post-Market study is intended to expand the clinical knowledge base by collecting data on subjects treated with the Ovation™ or Ovation Prime™ Abdominal Stent Graft System in actual clinical practice following commercial approval.

Cost-utility Analysis of Fenestrated Aortic Stents Versus Open Surgery for the Treatment of Complex...
Complex Abdominal Aortic Aneurysmie. Juxtarenal or Suprarenal Aortic Aneurysms1 moreIntroduction: Complex abdominal aortic aneurysms (CAA) are defined as abdominal aneurysms that are anatomically unsuitable for a standard endovascular repair because of a short infrarenal neck or no infrarenal neck. These CAAA are usually treated either by fenestrated endovascular aortic repair (FEVAR) or open repair (OR). Data comparing these thechniques remain scarce, mainly consisting of systematic reviews based on retrospective studies. Although mid-term and long-term results remain uncertain, FEVAR has gained widespread acceptance in the vascular community. However, this practice is not evidence base. Beyond clinical results, whether FEVAR is cost-effective or not is not demonstrated. A randomized controlled trial comparing FEVAR and OR is unlikely to be conducted since centers have developed specific expertise and practice, and most of surgeons are not keen to randomize patients. Thus, we believe that a prospective comparative multicentric cohort, with a propensity score and minimization of selection, classification and confusion bias is the most realistic way to provide reliable comparative data on cost effectiveness of FEVAR and OR. Overall, 382 patients are expected to be included (159 in each group). Objective: The objective of this prospective non-randomized comparative multicenter cohort study is to compare the cost effectiveness incremental ratio at 36 months of FEVAR and OR for CAAA. Method: Patients with CAAA discussed for FEVAR or OR in 37 french vascular centers in during a two years inclusion period constitute the population study. Preoperative and postoperative clinical and imaging data will are collected prospectively in eCRF forms. QOL before and after treatment is assessed by the E5D5L. The follow-up period is three years. The primary outcome is the Incremental cost-utility ratio (cost/QALY) at 36 months. We plan to minimize indication biases by using a proposensity score (proposnsity score maching and Inverse probablility of treatment weighting) based on clinical and anatomic characteristics. Patient at prohibitive risk for OR are excluded. Patient anatomically unsuitable for FEVAR are also excluded . Conclusion: This study should provided valuable data on cost effectiveness of FEVAR for CAAA. Sub-goup analysis will be also conducted.

An Innovative Approach to Automated Carbon Dioxide Angiography During Endovascular Abdominal Aortic...
Abdominal Aortic AneurysmThe study aims to perform Endovascular Aortic Repair procedures with CO2-Angiography using a standardized an operative Protocol

Outcomes of FEVAR and BEVAR to Treat Secondary Type 1 Endoleak After EVAR: A Prospective Multicentre...
Abdominal Aortic AneurysmTen percent of the population above 60 years develops an aortic abdominal aneurysm. In case of rupture, this pathology leads to death in more than 70% of the cases. Over the past ten years, Endovascular Aortic Aneurysm Repair (EVAR) has been the most used technique for elective treatment for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) in patients with a favorable anatomy. But despite excellent postoperative results with a significant reduction of mortality , a close follow-up of these patients is mandatory to detect any potential endoleaks particularly in patients with a long-life expectancy. Failed Endovascular Infrarenal Aortic Aneurysm Repair (EVAR) with development of a proximal endoleak exposes the patient to the risk of rupture and must be treated. This type of endoleaks are often related to dilatation of the proximal neck of the AAA, and of the suprarenal aorta, making the use of any aortic fixation system, or uncovered stent ineffective. In these cases, open surgical conversion with stent graft removal is possible but at the price of a significant morbidity and mortality. The alternative is the use of a fenestrated or branched stent graft (F/BEVAR) extending the proximal sealing zone to a non-diseased aorta. The goal of this study was to evaluate the technical feasibility, early and midterm outcomes of (F/BEVAR) in patients with a proximal endoleak following a standard EVAR. The investigators performed a multicentre study between January 2010 and December 2019 in 8 French University Centres which included 85 patients with 3 years of post operative follow-up.