Clinical trials

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the effect of opioid-free anesthesia on the intensity of acute and chronic postoperative pain in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. The study will also evaluate the safety of opioid-free anesthesia in this patient population. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Is opioid-free anesthesia effective in reducing the intensity of acute and chronic postoperative pain in cardiac surgery patients? * Is this anesthetic technique safe in this patient population? Patients will be randomized before surgery into two groups. In the first group, anesthesia will be performed with opioids, while in the second group, anesthesia will be performed without opioids. Researchers will measure acute postoperative pain during the first 48 hours using the Numeric Rating Pain Scale (NRPS). Chronic postoperative pain will be assessed after 3 months via a telephone interview. Additionally, the incidence of adverse events-including postoperative delirium (POD), hemodynamic instability, respiratory complications, constipation, and postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV)-as well as overall treatment outcomes, will be evaluated.

Short-term results are favorable for EndoVascular Aneurysm Repair (EVAR) compared to open surgery. One of the major drawbacks to this shift is the need for fluoroscopy and contrast dyes to visualise endovascular devices. The use of fluoroscopy exposes both patients and caregivers to harmful ionizing radiation. Because of the harmful effects of radiation, recent radiation protection guidelines strongly recommend as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) principle. The need for additional radiation-reducing navigation techniques is high, with the ultimate goal of performing endovascular procedures without radiation at all. In response to these challenges, Centerline Biomedical (Cleveland, Ohio, USA) has developed a proprietary electromagnetic tracking and positioning system called the Intra-Operative Positioning System (IOPS). This medical device provides surgeons with 3D visualization for increased surgical precision while reducing the radiation exposure for patients and healthcare professionals. IOPS provides 3D electromagnetic navigation of interventional devices as an adjunct to fluoroscopy. During the intervention, the IOPS devices can be visualized with on-screen image guidance. The IOPS guidewires and catheters can be used together or combined with off-the-shelf 0.035-inch catheters and guidewires, as needed. This study aims to describe the influence of IOPS technology on radiation exposure during cannulation of the contralateral limb (CL) during standard EVAR.

Background: The treatment of patients with complex aortoiliac disease (AID), classified as Trans-Atlantic Inter-Society consensus II (TASC) class C and D, presents a dilemma for vascular surgeons. Current guidelines recommend either open surgical reconstruction (OR), hybrid repair (HR) combining iliac stenting with femoral endarterectomy, or total endovascular repair (ER). While traditional OR with aortobifemoral bypass (ABF) is associated with excellent long term patency results, it is associated with significant perioperative morbidity with some studies citing mortality rates of up to 4-8%. The advancement of endovascular techniques has led to many trials suggesting that endovascular management of TASC II C and D lesions is a potential alternative treatment to open strategies mainly in the subset of patients with high surgical risk, given the substantially less perioperative morbidity and mortality compared to OR. Aim: The aim of this trial is to evaluate the short, mid-, and long-term results of open repair, hybrid and endovascular repair in the treatment patients with complex, TASC C and D, aortoiliac lesions. Methodology: This is a retrospective cohort study planning to include vascular surgery centers from the following countries: Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Serbia. Data will be collected on demographics, baseline comorbidities, anatomy and morphology of the aortoiliac and femoral bifurcation disease, intraoperative, postoperative, and follow-up data. Propensity score analysis will be performed by matching open repair patients in all three groups (open, hybrid, and endovascular repair) controlling for demographics, baseline comorbidities, anatomical and morphological data. Endpoints: Primary endpoints are all-cause mortality and the major adverse limb events (major amputation - below and above the knee, new onset acute limb ischaemia, reintervention of the treated arterial segment). The secondary endpoints are the 30-day complications and primary patency.