vascular

Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) offers many patients a minimally invasive option to address vascular pathologies like aortic aneurysm. By deploying a fabric-covered stent within the aneurysm, blood is rerouted through this conduit thereby excluding...

As a cardiothoracic anesthesiologist and intensivist, I care for many patients in the OR and ICU who have aortic aneurysms or dissections undergoing open/endovascular repair. It's important to localize the aortic pathology to determine...

Aorta-esophageal fistula is an abnormal communication between the aorta and esophagus leading to life-threatening exsanguination via the GI tract. This can be caused by procedures (e.g., weeks following cardiac arrhythmia ablation), malignancy, foreign body,...

Acute ascending aortic dissection (type A) is a true surgical emergency. Arterial walls are comprised of the intima (innermost layer), media, and adventitia (outermost layer). In a dissection, an intimal tear creates a plane...

Superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome is characterized by facial plethora, upper body venous engorgement, chest pain, soft tissue swelling, dyspnea, and even neurologic changes. Anything that impairs SVC drainage by intrinsic obstruction (thrombosis, anatomic...

Lumbar drains are a mainstay for spinal cord protection when patients undergo operations like thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA) repairs and thoracic endovascular aortic repairs (TEVAR) with subclavian artery debranching. Why? Because the anterior spinal...

May-Thurner syndrome (MTS) involves iliocaval venous compression most often attributed to compression of the left iliac vein between the lumbar vertebrae posteriorly and the right common iliac artery anteriorly. This, in turn, causes venous...

Pulmonary embolism (PE) refers to an obstruction of the pulmonary arterial system and is the third leading cause of cardiovascular death. Patients can present with nonspecific findings; however, resulting pulmonary infarction, impaired gas exchange,...