Aim of the study: Both prevention and treatment of chronic venous disease (CVD) are potentially related to the proper patient knowledge in this field. This paper presents the results of a study commissioned by Polish Society of Phlebology concerning the patient awareness in the field of epidemiology, prevention and treatment of CVD in Poland. Material and methods: The study was performed with the use of computer-assisted interviews conducted on a nationwide representative sample (n = 828) and additionally on a nationwide representative sample of women (n = 177). Results: The most common complaint reported by the respondents was a feeling of heaviness and fatigue in the lower limbs-62%. Thirty-seven percent reported lowerleg pain related to body posture and 33% lower limb swelling. In 27% the presence of varicose veins and in 2% crural ulcers were reported. The majority of symptomatic respondents (64%) never reported their problems to the physicians; 23% of them received assistance from a pharmacist. Among symptomatic patients, compression therapy was used by 11%, 23% took medication, and 18% received dietary supplements. The most common source of information on CVD was the knowledge obtained from friends and families (37%) and from the media (37%). Only 22% indicated the physician as a knowledge resource. As many as 7 out of 10 respondents believed that the education in the area of CVD is necessary. Conclusions: Despite the fact that CVD are widespread among patients, they are still rarely diagnosed by medical personnel and the level of patient knowledge concerning CVD remains low.

A decrease in carotid artery wall elasticity as measured using coefficient a may be associated with the process leading to the occurrence of restenosis after the surgery. Further research is required in order to confirm the conclusions presented in this paper and to explain potential mechanisms of this phenomenon.

Treatment of patients with infected aortic aneurysm remains a challenge for the vascular surgeon and carries a high risk of mortality. Here, we present a case of a patient with infected thoracic aneurysm treated successfully with endovascular technique. The female patient, age 57 years, was admitted to the hospital due to severe thoracic pain. The angiotomography revealed inflammation of the thoracic aorta along with the presence of air bubbles. Stool and blood cultures were positive for Salmonella ser. Enteritidis. Targeted antibiotics were given intravenously for 22 days followed by oral delivery for 6 months. After 14 weeks, angiotomography showed the presence of pseudoaneurysm of the descending thoracic aorta with a diameter of 87 mm, and a thoracic stent-graft was implanted. No endoleaks were detected at the 3-year follow-up. The presented patient with Salmonella-positive infected thoracic aneurysm was successfully treated with endovascular method but still needs lifelong follow-up.

SummaryAim: Despite great advances in ultrasound diagnosis of the venous system, there is still a need for a quick and simple method of complex preoperative visualisation of the superficial venous system and its incompetent perforators. The aim of the study was to assess the usefullness of thermography in the preoperative mapping of the superficial venous system among patients with primary and recurrent varicose veins. Method: Authors examined prospectively 48 patients with varicose veins (36 with primary and 12 with recurrent varicose veins). Preoperative assessment was performed by means of infrared scanning (thermography). The results were verified by colour coded duplex ultrasound and intraoperative findings. In the results, the mapping of incompetent veins by thermography unit showed an excellent correlation with colour/duplex scan and intraoperative findings. The sensitivity and specificity for thermography were 85.4% and 93.7% respectively and were lower than the values acquired by US scanning (sensitivity and specificity – 89.6% and 97.7% respectively). Conclusion: Authors conclude, that colour/duplex ultrasound remains a method of choice in the preoperative evaluation of the entire venous system, but thermography offers a simple and quick method for complex mapping of the incompetent superficial venous system. This method might prove to be a helpful adjunct to the ultrasound, particularly in case of recurrent varicose veins or in cases, when the incompetent veins are not well seen (e. g. obesity).

Background: Acute peripheral arterial ischemia is a rapidly developing loss of perfusion, resulting in ischemic clinical manifestations. This study aimed to assess the incidence of cardiovascular mortality in patients with acute peripheral arterial ischemia and either atrial fibrillation (AF) or sinus rhythm (SR). Methods: This observational study involved patients with acute peripheral ischemia treated surgically. Patients were followed-up to assess cardiovascular mortality and its predictors. Results: The study group included 200 patients with acute peripheral arterial ischemia and either AF (n = 67) or SR (n = 133). No cardiovascular mortality differences between the AF and SR groups were observed. AF patients who died of cardiovascular causes had a higher prevalence of peripheral arterial disease (58.3% vs. 31.6%, p = 0.048) and hypercholesterolemia (31.2% vs. 5.3%, p = 0.028) than those who did not die of such causes. Patients with SR who died of cardiovascular causes more frequently had a GFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 (47.8% vs. 25.0%, p = 0.03) and were older than those with SR who did not die of such causes. The multivariable analysis shows that hyperlipidemia reduced the risk of cardiovascular mortality in patients with AF, whereas in patients with SR, an age of ≥75 years was the predisposing factor for such mortality. Conclusions: Cardiovascular mortality of patients with acute ischemia did not differ between patients with AF and SR. Hyperlipidemia reduced the risk of cardiovascular mortality in patients with AF, whereas in patients with SR, an age of ≥75 years was a predisposing factor for such mortality.