Systematic review and meta-analysis of vein cuffs for below-knee synthetic bypass
This review aims to investigate the possible benefit of vein cuffs for femoral to below-knee popliteal and femorodistal vessel synthetic bypass grafts. It was a systematic review and metanalysis that included 5 studies (3 cohorts and 2 RCTs); a total of 885 patients. Meta-analysis of five studies examining below-knee popliteal bypass showed a significant improvement for primary patency in cuffed grafts at 2 years, but not at 1 or 3 years (odds ratio at 2 years 0·46, 95 per cent confidence interval 0·22 to 0·97; P = 0·04). Limb salvage was significantly improved in cuffed grafts up to 2 years. Limb survival was also improved for cuffed distal grafts at 2 years (odds ratio 0·29, 0·11 to 0·75; P = 0·01) but showed no difference at any other time interval. This study shows a small but significant benefit for vein cuffs on synthetic grafts used for femoral to below-knee popliteal anastomoses, but little benefit for femorodistal anastomoses.
BJS May 2012 DOI:10.1002/bjs.8811
Headline: Benefit of vein cuffs on synthetic grafts used for femoral to below-knee popliteal anastomoses
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