Vascular surgery reimagined. Aortas, PAD, veins & vision. Trained @TAMU + @Stanford reshaping what’s possible @atriumSHVI. Mentor. Operator. Innovator. 🏃🚴🏌️
Charlotte, NC
Joined April 2020
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80 hrs of call #rupture #aorta #EVAR x2 #Endoanchors @MDT_Cardiac #DVT @Pen #GSW fem artery
#relegatedtoryhthmguitar #freedomfromcall #DVT @Pen #GSW to artery @zacharko17 @ArkoJace #fathersday2020 #DocsWhoRock #impromptujamsession
Texas weekend. Different arenas. Same mindset. Build the best team. Trust the technology. Execute when it matters most. Similar to vascular surgery
frank arko retweeted
Dear members of the SAVS, it is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. Larry Hollier, our 18th president of the society. Too often the word extraordinary is used for the pedestrian, but we can think of no better exemplar of what is truly extraordinary than the life and career of Dr. Hollier. He completed his surgery training at LSU which included two years in the Air Force and his vascular surgery fellowship under Dr. Jesse Thompson at Baylor University in Dallas. He proved to be a global leader in our field - holding chair positions at Mayo Clinic, Ochsner Clinic, Mount Sinai, and HCI international medical center in Glasgow, Scotland. In 2003 he was named president and chief operating officer at the Mount Sinai Hospital. In January 2004, he returned home to Louisiana to become the dean of the LSU health sciences center and ultimately retired as Chancellor in 2021. Please join us in a moment of prayer and reflection on the incredible life of one of our leaders.
frank arko retweeted
I can't explain this.
But I've noticed something strange during difficult moments in procedures.
You’re struggling with something during a case. You try different techniques, make small adjustments, but nothing seems to work.
Eventually, you ask for another piece of equipment.
And just as someone opens it, you suddenly succeed with what you were trying to do all along.
I don't know what this phenomenon is, but I've started paying attention to it.
Sometimes, just asking for the next piece of equipment to be brought into the room seems to be enough for things to suddenly work.
I wonder why this happens?
Perhaps it's the small mental shift that comes from deciding to try something else. Maybe asking for the equipment changes your focus just enough to unlock a solution.
Or perhaps it's just coincidence.
Whatever it is, I've come to appreciate it.
Sometimes all it takes to solve a problem is threatening to try something else.
frank arko retweeted
#AorticDissection
#AirPollution
Ambient Carbon Monoxide (CO) (as well as Temperature) is associated with ⬆️risk of Acute Aortic Dissection with a 2-day lag (OR=2.7 per ppm, 1.2-5.9)
Not Ozone/NO2/PM2.5/PM10/SO2
n=798 events 🇹🇼
Time-stratified case-crossover design
Does CO impact smooth muscle or blood pressure?
Image credit: GPT
#AortaEd
@JAHA_AHA 2026
ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.…
frank arko retweeted
#SpatialTranscriptomics
#ThoracicAorticDisease
Human aorta is a mm-thick layered organ (50~60 circumferential Elastic-contractile units in adult)
Its lumen & adventitia sides receive different chemical/mechanical inputs
Any phenotypic/signaling gradients of #SmoothMuscleCells across the aortic medial depth?😆👇
Here is a very cool & informative study from one of my most favorite scientists, Dr. Hiromi Yanagisawa @HYanagisawaLab 👏
Micro-biopsies RNAseq from 4 distinct layers in human aortic media
5 #BicuspidAorticValue + 4 Sporadic
Extracellular Matrix signaling (FN1/VCAN/MGP/POSTN) enriched in innermost layer (Beautiful POSTN IHC😍)
TGFβ BAV > Sporadic
Inflamm Sporadic > BAV
Mechanosensing in innermost layer Sporadic > BAV🥸
#AortaEd
#JVSVS 2026 @JVascSurg
jvsvs.org/article/S2666-3503…
frank arko retweeted
Fun conversation with @ziadalinyc on a common discussion point - utility of specialty balloons! @Hragy @mirvatalasnag @realarainmd @RafaelCav_MD @DrJMHill @evandrofilhobr
Specialty balloons create controlled dissection, not just more force. Dr. Ziad Ali (@ziadalinyc) and Dr. Nyal Borges (@nyalborgesmd) cover device selection, undersizing in calcium, and why the first device in a lesion matters most.
Watch the full episode on the BackTable App: na2.hubs.ly/H08x84f0
#CV57 #InterventionalCardiology #CuttingBalloon #ScoringBalloon #CoronaryCalcification #ComplexPCI @StFrancis_LI @CHS_LI @atriumhealth
frank arko retweeted
Vancomycin Induced Thrombocytopenia (VIT)
Occurs 8 days after exposure (can be immediate on re-exposure)
Severe bleeding (plt<20)
Mechanism:
Hapten-dependent Ab formation: vanc binds platelet GPs (GP IIb/IIIa)
Rx:
DC vanc (switch to dapto)
IVIG 1 g/kg x 2d
No vanc in future
frank arko retweeted
Huge congratulations to @scottlemaire on becoming the 11th Editor-in-Chief of #JTCVS! Your leadership has shaped this field in so many ways, and the journal is in excellent hands. @AATSHQ @BCM_Surgery
The AATS is pleased to announce Scott A. LeMaire, MD, has been appointed the 11th Editor-in-Chief of the #JTCVS journal family. @scottlemaire @GeisingerRsrch @GeisingerCwlth will begin his new position January 1. View the full press release announcement: hubs.la/Q04Bl63f0
frank arko retweeted
Best medical therapy
#Carotid Opinion:
Patient with asymptomatic carotid disease. PSV of left ICA 260 cm/s and CTA read as 60-70% LICA stenosis. Debating opinions by IC and vascular.
Vascular: CEA (no angio needed)
IC: angio then decide stent vs CEA
I find it odd not consider angio for confirmation. Vascular states it’s a slam dunk CEA case.
I understand the debate with stent vs CEA (anatomical considerations) but shouldn’t we delineate the anatomy with angio or can you just rely on a CTA?
Would you do a carotid angio here first and then decide?
frank arko retweeted
Doesn’t matter CTA or duplex…in my book this patient does NOT meet criteria for intervention. ASA and a Statin follow up in 6 months. I’m surprised you would even consider operating here esp asymptomatic!
Best medical therapy
#Carotid Opinion:
Patient with asymptomatic carotid disease. PSV of left ICA 260 cm/s and CTA read as 60-70% LICA stenosis. Debating opinions by IC and vascular.
Vascular: CEA (no angio needed)
IC: angio then decide stent vs CEA
I find it odd not consider angio for confirmation. Vascular states it’s a slam dunk CEA case.
I understand the debate with stent vs CEA (anatomical considerations) but shouldn’t we delineate the anatomy with angio or can you just rely on a CTA?
Would you do a carotid angio here first and then decide?