Reviews
Cardiovascular morbidity, mortality and risk management in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms
Introduction An abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a focal dilation of the abdominal aorta with a diameter of 3.0 cm or more. Within the UK the national screening programme has shown an AAA prevalence in men aged >65 years of 1.57%, similar to that in the USA.1 The implementation of screening programmes for AAAs across…
Safety and efficacy of tranexamic acid in major non-cardiac vascular surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Introduction Tranexamic acid (TXA) is a synthetic lysine analogue that inhibits the conversion of plasminogen to plasmin, thereby inhibiting fibrinolysis.1 Large pragmatic randomised controlled trials (RCTs) have demonstrated that TXA is associated with a reduction in mortality in patients with major traumatic haemorrhage,2 postpartum haemorrhage3 and mild to moderate traumatic brain injury4; reduced transfusion requirements…
A contemporary review of the diagnosis and management of vascular Ehlers–Danlos syndrome
Introduction Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a recognised connective tissue disorder that affects collagen and extracellular matrix function. EDS is a cluster of 13 inherited conditions/types (19 different causal genes) which vary in incidence, clinical presentation and natural history.1 The most common of these is that of hypermobile EDS which has an incidence of approximately 1:10,000…
