Athanasios Saratzis

I am a vascular and endovascular surgeon with an interest in clinical and translational research. My clinical focus is complex peripheral revascularisation. I am currently based in the NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) and Department of Cardiovascular Sciences (University of Leicester) supported by an NIHR Advanced Fellowship. Prior to my current appointment I completed my higher surgical training in Birmingham (West Midlands Deanery) Leicester (East Midlands Deanery) and London (Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust) funded by the NIHR as a Fellow and subsequently as a Clinical Lecturer. 

• Acute and Chronic Kidney Injury in Cardiovascular Surgery Part of my clinical research has focussed on the epidemiology impact recognition and prevention of renal injury in cardiovascular patients. I have published extensively around Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) in patients having vascular procedures. This has led to the delivery of a randomised trial (HYDRA-P) and several other projects as well as a Hunterian Professorship in 2020. • Cardiovascular Risk Reduction in Vascular Patients I am currently leading a diverse team of experts and patient contributors (NIHR Advanced Fellowship; £1 million) to co-develop a cardiovascular risk-reduction programme specifically for patients with aneurysms. We work closely with the NHS Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Screening Programme (NAAASP) and other key stakeholders. • Industry I lead four industry-funded investigator-led/sponsored clinical projects relating to the use of endovascular devices. • Vascular and Endovascular Research Network (VERN) I have previously led the Vascular and Endovascular Research Network (VERN) . More information: http://vascular-research.net. 

(0) Selected publications - further available here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=saratzis+a

VERN, Saratzis A, Outcomes of Vascular and Endovascular Interventions Performed During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic. Annals of Surgery 2021; 273: 630-635.

KDIGO Conference Participants. Central and peripheral arterial diseases in chronic kidney disease: conclusions from a Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) Controversies Conference. Kidney International 2021: S0085-2538(21)00472-5.

Sidloff DA, Saratzis A, Thompson J, Katsogridakis E, Bown MJ. Infra-Renal Aortic Diameter and Cardiovascular Risk: Making Better Use of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening Outcomes. 
European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery 2021: S1078-5884(21)00270-7.

Saratzis A, Donati T, Biasi L, Diamantopoulos A, Katsanos K, Zayed H. A network meta-analysis of supervised exercise therapy, angioplasty and best medical therapy in intermittent claudication. Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) Cardiovascular Interventions 2019; 24: 1125-1136.

Saratzis A, Lea T, Yap T, Batchelder A, Thomson B, Saha P, Diamantopoulos A, Saratzis N, Davies R, Zayed H. Paclitaxel and Mortality Following Peripheral Angioplasty: An Adjusted and Case Matched Multicentre Analysis. European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery 2020; 60: 220-229.

Saratzis A, Joshi S, Benson RA, Bosanquet D, Dattani N, Batchelder A, Fisher O, Ioannidou E, Bown MJ, Imray CH; VERN collaborators. Editor's Choice - Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) in Aortic Intervention: Findings From the Midlands Aortic Renal Injury (MARI) Cohort Study. European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery 2020; 59: 899-909.

Saratzis A, VERN. Observational study of the medical management of patients with peripheral artery disease. British Journal of Surgery 2019; 106:1168-1177.

Saratzis A, Chiocchia V, Jiffry A, Hassanali A, Singh S, Bown M, Mahmood A. HYDration and bicarbonate to prevent acute Renal injury after endovascular Aneurysm repair: pilot-feasibility randomized controlled study (HYDRA pilot trial). European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery 2018; 55:648-656.

Toghill BJ, Saratzis A, Freeman PJ, Sylvius N; UKAGS collaborators, Bown MJ. SMYD2 promoter DNA methylation is associated with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and SMYD2 expression in vascular smooth muscle cells. Clinical Epigenetics 2018; 10:29-31.

Bath M, Sidloff D, Saratzis A, UKAGS investigators. The Impact of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening on Quality of Life. British Journal of Surgery 2018; 105:203-208.

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Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) / Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in patients with vascular conditions. complex clinical interventions quality improvement in cardiovascular surgery.

I have been a fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) since 2016. I regularly participate as faculty and/or organiser in national/international surgical and endovascular courses/webinars having also led several research projects investigating the role of simulation in endovascular training. I am a faculty member of the VaLS Academy and lead the endovascular component of the course: https://www.vascularlimbsalvageacademy.com 

Abdominal aortic aneurysm Peripheral arterial disease Cardiovascular screening

07/2021- present: Member NIHR Health Technology Assessment (HTA) General Committee 10/2019 - present: Vice chair; Vascular Society of GB & Ireland Peripheral Arterial Disease Specialty Interest Group 02/2021 - present: Founding member; Research Collaboration for Peripheral Arterial Disease (RCPAD.org) 05/2020 - present: British Journal of Surgery Editor Assistant; PLOS One Associate Editor 02/2020 - present: Member; Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes KDIGO Vascular Conference/Committee. 01/2020-12/2020: Royal College of Surgeons of England Hunterian Professor 2020 02/2018-10/2019: Member NIHR Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Clinical Evaluation & Trials Committee 03/2018 - present: Primary Investigator (East Midlands) - UK Perioperative Medicine Clinical Trials Network 01/2018-06/2019: President - Vascular and Endovascular Research Network (VERN) 

2014 NIHR Clinical Lectureship (Vascular Surgery) HEE Innovation Grant 2015 European Vascular Society Prize AMS Starter Grant NIHR RfPB ""Female Aneurysm Screening Study"" (co-applicant) 2017 BSET Fellowship 2018 BHF Programme Grant “Deep phenotypic characterisation of abdominal aortic aneurysm growth” 2019 NIHR Advanced Fellowship ""Cardiovascular risk reduction In the NHS abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) Screening Programme - CRISP” Abbott Medical “Treatment of common femoral artery atherosclerotic disease using the Supera stent - CONFESS” 2020 Hunterian Professorship 2020 Royal College of Surgeons NIHR HS&DR ""In-silico trials of targeted screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm using linked healthcare data” (co-applicant) Circulation Foundation “The COVID-19 Vascular Service Study” NIHR RfPB “An intervention to improve medical management of peripheral arterial disease - CHABLIS” 2021 NIHR HTA “Diagnostic tools to establish the presence and severity of peripheral arterial disease” (co-applicant) Shockwave Medical “Treatment of patients with peripheral artery disease using lithotripsy - SHOCC” Abbott Medical “Fate of patients with limb ischaemia in the NHS” 

·Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (England) Fellow of the Higher Education Academy PhD Vascular Surgery - multicentre project between Aristotle University (Greece) University of Birmingham (UK) and University of Leicester (UK) (2013) Medical Degree Aristotle University (Greece) (2009) Academic and clinical leadership training: NIHR Leadership Training (2018-19; Hult International Business School) Harvard University Surgical Leadership Programme (2019-21).