The results showed that aorto-iliac anatomy in Caucasians differs significantly from Asians, particularly in the length of the common iliac arteries and infrarenal abdominal aorta, and in the transverse diameter of the common, external iliac, and common femoral arteries. Therefore, the exact criteria for stent graft design are dependent on the racial origin of the patient.

The findings of this study might help to develop better strategies to attract future trainees to surgical specialties, particularly vascular surgery, and improve work environment.

In interventional procedures, the balloon inflation is used to occlude the artery and thus reduce bleeding. There is no practically accepted measure of the procedure efficiency. A finite element method model with state‐of‐the‐art modelling techniques was built in order to predict the occlusion levels under the influence of different balloon inflation and its material stiffness. The geometries of a healthy human thoracic aorta and an occlusion balloon were idealized. The non‐linear constitutive material of Gasser‐Ogden‐Holzapfel model was employed for the thoracic aorta; the balloon was model as the hyperelastic model. The realistic physiological blood pressure and the balloon inflation pressures were applied to simulate the different occlusion levels. The final outcome shows an important influence of the material stiffness on the balloon deformation and thus the occlusion efficiency.

Background The COrona Virus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic has radically changed the possibilities for vascular surgeons and trainees to exchange knowledge and experience. The aim of the present survey is to inventorise the e-learning needs of vascular surgeons and trainees as well as the strengths and weaknesses of vascular e-Learning. Methods An online survey consisting of 18 questions was created in English, with a separate bilingual English-Mandarin version. The survey was dispersed to vascular surgeons and trainees worldwide through social media and via direct messaging from June 15th to October 15th 2020. Results 856 records from 84 different countries could be included. Most participants attended several online activities (>4: n=461, 54%; 2-4: n=300, 35%; 1: n=95, 11%) and evaluated online activities as positive or very positive (84.7%). In deciding upon participation, the topic of the activity was most important (n=440, 51.4%), followed by the reputation of the presenter or the panel (n=178, 20.8%), but not necessarily receiving accreditation or certification (n=52, 6.1%). The survey identified several shortcomings in vascular e-Learning during the pandemic: limited possibility to attend due to lack of time and increased workload (n=432, 50.5%), no protected/allocated time (n=488, 57%) and no accreditation or certification, while technical shortcomings were only a minor problem (n=25, 2.9%). Conclusions During the COVID-19 pandemic vascular e-Learning has been used frequently and was appreciated by vascular professionals from around the globe. The survey identified strengths and weaknesses in current e-Learning that can be used to further improve online learning in vascular surgery.

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