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??Diagnosis and treatment principle of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms JIANG Mi-er, LIU Xiao-bing. Department of Vascular Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200011, China
Corresponding author??JIANG Mi-er??E-mail: jiangme2005@yahoo.com.cn
Abstract Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (rAAA) is one of the major leading causes of sudden death in the world. Despite many advances in the field of vascular surgery, the improvement in prognosis of rAAA has been very modest. Although endovascular treatment of rAAA is associated with decreased morbidity and mortality markedly when compared to the open surgical approach, open rAAA repair remains the most common therapy for the devastating vascular emergency. It will focus on diagnosis and management for rAAA in either open or endovascular aneurysm repair with particular attention to developing a standardized multidisciplinary approach to deal with the technical challenges, including the availability of preoperative CT, the choice of anesthesia, use of aortic occlusion balloons, need for bifurcated vs. aorto-uniiliac stentgrafts, diagnosis and treatment of abdominal compartment syndrome, and endovascular treatment conversion to open surgical repair. The open and endovascular repairs play equally important roles in management of rAAA.     

Impact of endovascular repair on open aortic aneurysm surgical training.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of an endovascular stent-graft program on vascular training in open aortic aneurysm surgery. METHODS: The institutional and vascular surgery fellow experience in aortic aneurysm repair during a 6-year period was reviewed. The 3-year period before introduction of endovascular repair was compared with the 3-year period after introduction of endovascular repair. All patients undergoing abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) or thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repairs were entered prospectively into a vascular registry and retrospectively analyzed to evaluate the changing patterns in aortic aneurysm treatment and surgical training. RESULTS: Between July 1994 and June 2000, a total of 588 patients with AAA or thoracoabdominal aneurysms were treated at Stanford University Medical Center. There were 296 (50%) open infrarenal AAA repairs, 87 (15%) suprarenal AAA repairs, 47 (8%) thoracoabdominal aneurysm repairs, and 153 (26%) endovascular stent-grafts. The total number of aneurysms repaired per year by vascular fellows before the endovascular program was 71.3 +/- 4.9 (range, 68-77) and increased to 124.7 +/- 35.6 (range, 91-162) after introduction of endovascular repair (P <.05). This increase was primarily caused by the addition of endovascular stent-graft repairs by vascular fellows (51.0 +/- 29.0/year [range, 23-81]). There was no change in the number of open infrarenal aortic aneurysm repairs per year, 53.0 +/- 6.6 (range, 48-56) before endovascular repair versus 47.0 +/- 1.7 (range, 46-49) after (P = not significant). There was a significant increase in the number of suprarenal AAA repairs per year by vascular fellows, 10.0 +/- 1.0 (range, 9-11) before endovascular repair compared with 19.0 +/- 6.5 (range, 13-26) after (P <.05). There was no change in the number of thoracoabdominal aneurysm repairs per year between the two groups, 8.0 +/- 3.0 (range, 4-11) before endovascular repair compared with 7.6 +/- 2.3 (range, 5-9) after. CONCLUSIONS: Introduction of an endovascular aneurysm stent-graft program significantly increased the total number of aneurysms treated. Although the number of open aneurysm repairs has remained the same, the complexity of the open aneurysm experience has increased significantly for vascular fellows in training.     

The impact of gender on presentation, therapy, and mortality of abdominal aortic aneurysm in the United States, 2001-2004

INTRODUCTION: The elective repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) may decrease a patient's risk of rupture and confers a significantly lower in-hospital mortality rate than emergency repair. Previous works have shown that AAA rupture rates are higher in women compared to men, and that women have higher associated in-hospital mortality rates. This study was performed to evaluate, currently, to what extent patient gender influences presentation and treatment of AAA and the associated outcomes in the United States. METHODS: The Nationwide Inpatient Sample was used, with pertinent ICD-9 codes, to identify all patient-discharges that occurred with the primary diagnosis of intact (iAAA) or ruptured/dissecting (rAAA) abdominal aortic aneurysms between the years 2001 and 2004. Univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses of variables were performed. RESULTS: An estimated 220,403 AAA patient-discharges were identified during the study period. 37,016 (17%) patients presented with rAAA. A higher percentage of women with AAA presented with rupture compared to men (21% vs 16%; odds ratio [OR] 1.40, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.27-1.54). This rupture rate did not significantly change from 2001 to 2004 (P = .85 for trend). For iAAA, women had higher odds of in-hospital mortality than men (OR 1.60; 95% CI, 1.24-2.07). Compared to men, in-hospital mortality rates for women with iAAA were higher for both endovascular (2.1% vs 0.83%, P < .0001) and open repairs (6.1% vs 4.0%, P < .0001). For iAAA, fewer women underwent endovascular repair (32.4% vs 46.7%, P < .0001; O.R. 0.59, 95% CI, 0.52-0.67). For patients who presented with rAAA, women were less likely to undergo surgical intervention compared to men (59% vs 70%, P < .0001). For those that underwent repair, women had higher in-hospital mortality rates than men (43% vs 36%, P < .0001; OR 1.49, 95% CI, 1.16-1.91). CONCLUSION: A higher percentage of women currently present with aneurysm rupture. They have higher in-hospital mortality rates for both iAAA and rAAA. This gender difference in the outcomes following repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm has persisted over time, the cause of which is not explained by these or previous data, a fact that warrants further investigation.     

Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm in the elderly patient

The authors discuss several aspects of the management of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm in elderly patients. The cost-effectiveness and indications of repair of rAAA in elderly patients are analysed. A literature survey of risk-factors and results of open treatment of rAAA in elderly patients is made. The challenge of endovascular repair of rAAA in the elderly patient is discussed. Finally, the authors report their personnal experience with AAA repair in 163 patients aged 75 years and older, operated on between January 2003 and September 2005(89 endoaneurysmal stentgrafts and 74 open repairs, 42 rAAA,23 symptomatic AAA and 98 selective asymptomatic AAA).     

Improved survival after introduction of an emergency endovascular therapy protocol for ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms

BACKGROUND: The study was conducted to demonstrate improved survival (30-day mortality) after the introduction of an emergency endovascular therapy protocol for ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (rAAA). Numerous authors have successfully demonstrated reduced mortality in patients with rAAA using endovascular techniques. Comparison of endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) with open repair for rAAA may be misleading, however, because EVAR cannot be performed on all patients, and selection bias may explain the superior performance of any given surgical or endovascular strategy. We developed a model to predict mortality in patients before the introduction of EVAR (preprotocol population), applied this model to predict 30-day mortality among prospective patients (postprotocol population), and compared observed vs expected results. METHODS: We assessed 126 patients with rAAA. Primary outcome was 30-day mortality. Potential confounding variables were age, sex, presurgical lowest recorded systolic blood pressure (SBP), and glomerular filtration rate (GFR). A logistic regression model incorporating significant confounders was used to evaluate changes in 30-day mortality for all patients with rAAA after introduction of the EVAR protocol. Separate logistic regressions were done to compare 30-day mortality for preprotocol vs patients receiving EVAR and preprotocol vs patients receiving postprotocol open repair. Cumulative sum (CUSUM) analysis was used to assess shifts in the performance of the rAAA program over time. RESULTS: Significant confounders were SBP, absence of SBP, and GFR. Logistic regression found evidence of lower mortality after the protocol was introduced, 17.9% vs 30.0% (odds ratio [OR], 0.385; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.141 to 0.981; P = .046). Comparison of all open repairs (preprotocol and postprotocol) and EVAR demonstrated decreased risk for EVAR of 5.0% vs 28.3% (OR, 0.109; 95% CI, 0.013 to 0.906; P = .0084). Unstable patients (SBP 相似文献   

Endovascular repair of the ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm.

The present knowledge on endovascular repair of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (rAAA) prevents firm conclusions when to use this method in comparison to open repair. This review article briefly summarizes results from case series, and discusses how to achieve reliable information despite the absence of randomized controlled trials. At present a careful conclusion might be that dedicated centers with an adequate organization and reasonably high volume of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) should use detailed registry protocols to achieve experience and data to create an as reliable basis as possible for future recommendations.     

Surgeon Elective Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair Volume and Outcomes of Ruptured Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair: A 12-year Nationwide Study

Background

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of surgeon elective abdominal aortic aneurysm repair volume on outcomes after ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (rAAA) repair.

Methods

A nationwide claims database was used to identify patients who underwent rAAA repair from 1998 to 2009. Surgeon elective open abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (EAR) volume was classified as low, medium, or high. Associations between surgeon EAR volume and in-hospital mortality, overall survival, and complications after open rAAA repair (RAR) were compared with multivariate analysis. Associations between surgeon elective endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (EER) volume and outcomes after endovascular rAAA repair (RER) were also analyzed.

Results

A total of 537 patients who underwent rAAA repair were identified, including 498 who underwent RAR and 39 who underwent RER. In-hospital mortality rates after RAR were 49, 38, and 24 % in the low, medium, and high EAR volume groups, respectively (p < 0.001). Patients in the low surgeon EAR volume group had higher in-hospital mortality than those in the high surgeon EAR volume group [odds ratio 3.39, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.52, 7.59; p = 0.003]. Patients in the low surgeon EAR volume group also had higher long-term mortality (hazard ratio 1.86, 95 % CI 1.21, 2.85; p = 0.005). There were no significant differences in complication rates among the surgeon EAR volume groups or in-hospital mortality after RER among the surgeon EER volume groups.

Conclusions

Surgeon EAR volume is associated with in-hospital mortality and long-term survival after RAR.     

Endovascular repair for abdominal aortic aneurysms: initial experience of an endograft programme

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate early clinical results of elective endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms during the initial phase of an aortic endograft programme and to compare them with conventional open surgery. METHODS: Between July 1999 and September 2001, all patients with infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms undergoing elective repair were studied. The results of endovascular repair were compared with those of conventional repair. RESULTS: Twenty-seven endovascular repairs (24 men and three women; mean age, 74 yr) and 25 conventional repairs (19 men and six women; mean age, 73 yr) for infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms were evaluated. The aneurysm diameters in the two groups were similar (mean, 6.1 cm in the endovascular repair group and 6.6 cm in the conventional repair group). The comorbidities of the two groups were also comparable. The duration of operation was longer in the endograft group (249 +/- 86 min vs. 206 +/- 56 min), while the blood loss was significantly less (600 +/- 486 mL vs. 1074 +/- 1220 mL). The length of stay in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the overall duration of hospitalization was also significantly less in the endograft group (1 +/- 1 d vs. 3 +/- 2 d in ICU; 9 +/- 5 d vs. 13 +/- 6 d of hospitalization). There was one hospital death in each group (4%), and the complications were similar between the two groups. During a mean follow-up period of 11.6 +/- 7.5 months, there was no rupture or open conversion in the endograft group. CONCLUSIONS: In the initial phase of the aortic endograft programme, the mortality and morbidity were acceptable and comparable to that of open surgery.     

Physiological comparison of open and endovascular aneurysm repair.

BACKGROUND: This prospective study compared morbidity and mortality rates following conventional and endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair using a physiological scoring system. METHODS: Between December 1994 and November 1997, 104 elective open aneurysm repairs and 49 endovascular aneurysm repairs were performed. These patient cohorts were compared using the Portsmouth predictor equation (P-POSSUM) scoring system. Data collected prospectively from patient notes were used to obtain physiological and operative severity scores which were analysed to compare expected and observed mortality and morbidity rates. RESULTS: There were three deaths (6 per cent) in the endovascular AAA repair group and 17 (16 per cent) in the conventional aneurysm repair group, whereas the P-POSSUM formulae predicted mortality rates of 8 and 19 per cent respectively. Although the mean physiological scores were similar for both groups (endovascular 20.8 versus conventional 20.1), the operative severity score was significantly greater in the conventional group (26.3 versus 19.7; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In this study open aortic aneurysm repair had a higher operative severity than endovascular repair, which was reflected in the increased mortality rate.     

Emergency endovascular treatment of acute symptomatic or ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm: a single-center experience

The purpose of this study is to report our early experience with endovascular treatment of patients with symptomatic non-ruptured (sAAA) or ruptured (rAAA) abdominal aortic aneurysms. Between September 2005 and September 2008, all patients with a diagnosis of sAAA or rAAA were evaluated for endovascular suitability. We did not consider hemodynamic instability to be a contraindication for endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). Patients whose aneurysm anatomy was not suitable for EVAR received open repair (OR). A total of 46 patients with sAAA or rAAA underwent emergency EVAR: in particular, 18/46 patients were treated for sAAA and 28/46 for rAAA. Successful stent-graft deployment was achieved in 44 patients (96%); we had two open surgical conversions. The 30-day mortality rate was 19.5%. Nine patients died during the first 30 postoperative days: four patients died within 24 hours because of severe hypovolemic shock, two died of respiratory failure, one died as a result of bowel ischemia and two because of myocardial infarction after hospital discharge. Complete follow-up data were available for 35 patients (median 185 days; range 30-730 days). In conclusion, endovascular treatment is feasible and the early experience is promising. The capability of offering EVAR and OR for sAAA and rAAA according to our experience suggests that EVAR and OR should be regarded as complementary techniques to improve outcome of patients with acute AAA.     

Abdominal aortic aneurysm repair in octogenarians: myth or reality?

AIM: We studied the thirty-day mortality and morbidity rate to assess the value of conventional open repair vs endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) in an elderly population presenting with a ruptured, symptomatic or asymptomatic abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) undergoing emergency, urgent or elective repair. METHODS: During the period from January 2004 to May 2007, 329 consecutive patients were treated for AAA in our Department. Among these, 81 (24.6%) were aged >80 years (mean age 83.6, range 80-95 years). These older patients were divided into groups according to their clinical presentation: ruptured AAA group (rAAA) - 22 cases (4 emergency EVAR, 18 emergency open repair); symptomatic non-ruptured AAA group (sAAA) - 15 cases (11 urgent EVAR, 4 urgent open repair); asymptomatic AAA group (asAAA) - 44 cases (32 elective EVAR, 12 elective open repair). The main outcome measures were 30-day mortality and 30-day morbidity rate. RESULTS: The mortality rate following open surgery vs EVAR was 66.6% vs 50% (P=NS) in the rAAA group, 25% vs 0% (P=NS) in the sAAA group, and 9% vs 3.2% (P=NS) in the asAAA group. When comparing postoperative morbidities in the octogenarians, 3 of the patients that received EVAR (6.4%) and 15 of those that received open repair (48.4%) had a severe complication (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: The introduction of EVAR has considerably changed the balance of risks and benefits for AAA treatment. Our study confirms the high mortality rate for octogenarians with rAAA and haemodynamic instability, and supports the value of an active EVAR approach for octogenarians with AAA to prevent rupture. Moreover, the introduction of endovascular techniques as part of an overall treatment algorithm for ruptured AAAs appears to be potentially associated with improved outcomes in terms of mortality and morbidity as compared to open surgical repairs alone.     

Ruptured AAA: open surgical management

Ruptured abdominal aorta aneurysm (rAAA) is the 13th leading cause of death in the United States. Despite many advances in the field of vascular surgery, the improvement in mortality rates of rAAA have been very modest. Although endovascular repair has surpassed open repair for elective AAA repair in the United States, open rAAA repair remains the most common therapy for this devastating vascular emergency. In this article, we discuss open surgical management for rAAA. We also describe a fast-track algorithm we have developed at the University of Massachusetts where open and endovascular repairs play equally important roles in management of rAAA.     

A prospective study to assess changes in proximal aortic neck dimensions after endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to detect any change in the proximal neck diameter after endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm. METHODS: The study was performed in a teaching hospital with an endovascular program on 112 patients who had undergone endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm. The interventions were pre-endovascular and postendovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms with contrast-enhanced, spiral computerized tomography, and the main outcome measures were change in aortic proximal neck diameter, change in maximum aortic diameter, presence of endoleaks, and change in length from lowest renal artery to aortic bifurcation. RESULTS: The median anterior-posterior and transverse diameter decreased from 63.5 mm before surgery to 50.4 and 54.5 mm, respectively, after surgery in a period of 4 years. This trend in reduction in maximum diameter was not seen in the patients with endoleaks. There was no significant change in the proximal neck diameters when measured at 5-mm intervals after endovascular repair. There was also no significant change in the aortic length after endovascular repair. CONCLUSION: We have not demonstrated any evidence for proximal neck dilatation after endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm.     

The impact of walking impairment,cardiovascular risk factors,and comorbidity on quality of life in patients with intermittent claudication

PURPOSE: This study assessed the cardiovascular disease, perioperative results, and survival after surgical abdominal aortic aneurysm repair in young patients (< or = 50 years) compared with randomly selected older patients who also underwent abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. METHODS: We reviewed hospital records to identify young and randomly selected control patients (3 for each young patient, > or = 65 years, matched for year of operation) with degenerative (atherosclerotic) abdominal aortic aneurysms undergoing repair between Jan 1, 1988, and Mar 31, 2000. Patients with congenital aneurysms, pseudoaneurysms, aortic dissections, post-coarctation dilations, aortic infection, arteritis, or aneurysms isolated to the thoracic aorta were excluded. Mortality data and cause of death were obtained from medical records and the National Death Index RESULTS: Among 1168 patients who underwent abdominal aortic aneurysm repairs, 19 young patients (1.6%) and 57 control patients were identified. The mean age was 48.4 years in the young group and 72.2 years in the control group. There were no differences in sex or race between the two groups. When comparing existing cardiovascular disease between the groups, there were no differences in the incidence of earlier coronary revascularization (26% vs 16%) or non-cardiac vascular surgery (5% vs 9%), but aneurysms were more commonly symptomatic in young patients (53% vs 21%; P <.01). Aneurysmal disease was limited to the infrarenal aorta in similar proportions of patients (89% vs 88%). No statistically significant differences were seen in the incidence of perioperative deaths (16% young vs 9% control; P =.40) or postoperative complications (37% young vs 26% control; P =.38). The estimated survival rate of the young group was not different from that of the control group (3-year survival rate, 73% vs 69%; P =.32) or the entire cohort of patients (older than 50 years; n = 1101) who underwent repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms during the study period (3-year survival 73% vs 75%; P =.63) CONCLUSION: After abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, young patients had perioperative results and follow-up mortality rates similar to those of control patients. Cardiovascular disease was the predominant cause of death after abdominal aortic aneurysm repair in the young patients. When compared with an age older than 50 years at the time of abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, young age alone was not associated with increased survival.     

Aktuelle Therapie des rupturierten abdominalen Aortenaneurysmas

Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (rAAA) still represent a vascular emergency with hemorrhagic shock and high perioperative mortality. Preclinical evaluation requires a rapid consideration of various differential diagnoses, straightforward diagnostic procedures and immediate treatment in specialized centres. Open surgical repair still remains the gold standard for treating ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. The mainstays of standard therapy consist of immediate bleeding control by open surgical aortic clamping or endovascular balloon occlusion, aneurysma exclusion by implantation of a tube or bifurcated alloplastic prosthesis. Endovascular aortic repair by implantation of bifurcated or aortomonoiliac stent grafts is increasingly being used in selected patients with suitable aortic configuration in an attempt to improve patient survival. For patients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms endovascular aortic repair has become a new minimally invasive treatment option even in patients with severe comorbidities, although the data reported so far are not yet conclusive enough and long term results are missing. Perioperative therapy requires treatment of multiorgan failure following hemorrhagic shock and ischemia reperfusion damage by fluid administration, coagulation support, maintenance of normothermia and awareness of intestinal ischemia and abdominal compression syndrome.     

A statewide experience with endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair: rapid diffusion with excellent early results

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare survival and outcomes of endovascular versus open repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) in New York State (NYS). METHODS: We used the NYS discharge dataset Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS) to analyze the outcomes of elective admission for nonruptured (International Classification of Diseases-9th revision [ICD-9] 441.4) open aneurysm repair (38.44) and endovascular aneurysm repair (39.71) during the years 2000-2002. The ICD-9 code for endovascular repair was introduced in late 2000, thus capturing 3 months of empiric data for 2000. RESULTS: There has been a significant increase in the number of AAA procedures performed in NYS (comparing before and after 2000: average, 1419 vs 1701; P =.0001), temporally coinciding with the implementation of training programs after US Food and Drug Administration approval of endovascular grafts and the new payment code. From 2000 to 2002 the number of NYS hospitals performing endovascular repairs increased from 24 to 60. By 2002 there were more endovascular repairs being performed than open repairs (871 vs 783). The target population for these surgical interventions showed interesting differences. In 2002, women had a 43% chance of receiving an endograft, whereas men had a 55% probability. The use of endovascular repair over the observation period was relatively constant in patients younger than 65 years. In patients older than 65 years, and especially those older than 75 years, endovascular use increased substantially, so that by 2002 older patients were more likely to undergo endovascular repair than open repair. Patients who underwent endovascular repair had significantly more hypertension, coronary artery disease, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia than did patients who underwent open repair. Yet the mean length of stay for endovascular procedures was approximately 3.6 days, and for open procedures was about 10.3 days, across all 3 years (P = <.0001). Moreover, patients who underwent endovascular repair had statistically fewer postoperative complications and significantly lower mortality. In-hospital mortality in 2001 was 3.55% for open repair and 1.14% for endovascular repair (P =.0018), and in 2002 these rates were 4.21% versus 0.8% (P <.0001), respectively. CONCLUSION: This dataset suggests that endovascular AAA repairs are being performed in a patient population with a higher frequency of comorbidities. However, endovascular repairs still are associated with significantly lower in-hospital mortality, fewer postoperative complications, and a dramatically shorter length of stay. These results suggest that, despite the rapid diffusion of this new technique, early perioperative outcomes may be superior to those with conventional open repair. However, prospective clinical studies are needed to confirm these insights, and such studies may require the infrastructure of consortia of hospitals or society-based registries.     

Predictors for outcome after open and endovascular repair of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of the present study were to analyze patient- and management-related predictors for outcome after open (OR) and endovascular repair (EVAR) of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (rAAA). DESIGN: Retrospective study. MATERIALS: The in-hospital registry of Malm? University Hospital identified 162 patients operated on due to rAAA between 2000 and 2004. METHODS: Patient- and management-related predictors for outcome were analysed. RESULTS: Preoperative CT in 39 out of 62 circulatory unstable patients was not associated with increased mortality (p=0.60). There was a significant increase in repairs performed by EVAR during the study period (p<0.001), and in 2004 EVAR exceeded the annual rate of OR. Patients in the EVAR group were older (p=0.025), whereas patients in the OR group more often suffered from unconsciousness after presentation (p=0.004). Age, unconsciousness after presentation and haemoglobin were significantly associated with in-hospital mortality when tested in a multivariate logistic regression model (p=0.002, p=0.003 and p<0.001, respectively). The in-hospital mortality for patients undergoing OR and EVAR was 45% (48/106) and 34% (19/56), respectively (p=0.16). Diagnosis of abdominal compartment syndrome (p=0.005) and intestinal infarction (p=0.002) was associated with poor survival. CONCLUSIONS: Patient-related factors such as age, loss of consciousness and haemoglobin predicts outcome in a population where both emergency OR and EVAR for the treatment of rAAA is feasible.     

Conservatism and new technology: the impact on abdominal aortic aneurysm repair

The last decade has represented a time of fundamental change in the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). Potentially, vascular surgeons will either acquire catheter-based skills or relinquish the care for many patients with infrarenal AAA. We investigated AAA referral patterns and method of AAA repair after the establishment of an endovascular AAA program at our institution. We conducted a retrospective review of elective AAA repairs after the initiation of an endovascular AAA program in April 1994. Six vascular surgeons performed all procedures with a clear distinction between the surgeons (n=3) who performed traditional AAA repair only and those (n=3) who managed AAAs by means of either endovascular or traditional treatment. From April 1994 through December 2000, 740 elective AAA repairs were performed. During this time the mean number of AAA repairs has been 106/year ranging from 75 to 155/year. More notable however is the steady increase in the percentage of endovascular AAA repairs from 6 per cent of all AAA repairs in 1994 to 61 per cent in 2000. During this time traditional surgeons have experienced a plateau in total AAA repairs performed per year with their number of open repairs decreasing by 36 per cent. At the same time endovascular surgeons have seen a progressive rise in total AAA cases including an increase of 200 per cent in open repairs and of 1367 per cent in endovascular repairs. Our vascular surgeons who repair AAA utilizing both endovascular and open techniques have experienced an increase in aneurysm referrals since the advent of an endovascular AAA program. Those who have not adopted endovascular skills have seen a decline in their aneurysm practice. The larger question about whether or not to embrace new technology before the availability of long-term follow-up remains unanswered.     

Adding an endovascular aortic surgery program to a rural regional medical centre

Background

Abdominal aortic aneurysms requiring surgical intervention are generally treated by endovascular means. Such procedures are not always offered in rural hospitals, possibly leaving patients underserved. We reviewed our experience initiating an endoaortic surgery program.

Methods

A surgeon in a rural centre was credentialed to perform endovascular aortic aneurysm repair through collaboration with a university centre and was proctored locally for the first 5 abdominal aneurysm repairs. Web-based image storage was used to review complex cases as part of an ongoing partnership. Referred patients were screened for multiple aneurysms and underwent long-term monitoring.

Results

In all, 160 patients were evaluated for 176 aortic pathologies. Twenty-five patients (17 men) aged 55–89 years underwent 26 endovascular abdominal (n = 23) or thoracic (n = 3) aortic procedures. Emergent endovascular procedures were not performed. There were no operative deaths, requirements for dialysis or conversions to open repair. Two endoleaks required early reintervention. The median length of stay in hospital for endovascular procedures was 2.5 days. Chronic endoleaks were observed in 7 patients. An additional 8 patients underwent open abdominal aneurysm repair locally and 15 patients were referred to the university program.

Conclusion

Creation of an endovascular aortic surgery program in a rural hospital is feasible through collaboration with a high-volume centre. Patient safety is enhanced by obtaining second opinions using web-based image review. Most interventions are for abdominal aortic aneurysms, but planning for a comprehensive aortic clinic is preferable.     

Therapie des Bauchaortenaneurysmas

Intact (iAAA) and ruptured (rAAA) abdominal aortic aneurysms are complex diseases, which according to recent data are increasingly being treated by endovascular aortic repair (EVAR, iAAA 73 % versus rAAA 35 %). Constant improvement of commonly used endovascular techniques increases the feasibility of even challenging AAA pathologies. Various meta-analyses, systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials have examined the short-term and long-term outcome of EVAR versus open abdominal aortic repair (OAR). In contrast to OAR, EVAR seems to be beneficial in terms of 30-day mortality; nevertheless, OAR still has an accepted importance in the therapy of AAA. This article provides an overview on current treatment options of AAA regarding the correct individual indications in consideration of recent data on short-term and long-term outcome of EVAR.