Short-term outcomes of endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm, including ruptured cases

Introduction
Endovascular aneurysm repair as a minimally invasive alternative has become a commonly used surgical method for treating patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).

Aim
To analyze short-term outcomes of endovascular treatment of AAA patients, including ruptured cases.

Material and methods
From 2010 to 2015, 247 patients with AAA were treated using the endovascular aneurysm repair technique. A short-term analysis was conducted – up to 30 days after surgery. It included 236 patients with planned surgery and 11 operated on in emergency mode, due to ruptured AAA.

Results
Rates of short-term mortality and re-interventions among patients undergoing planned surgery were 2.5% and 4.2%, respectively. Surgical complications occurred in 18 (7.6%) patients, with the most common being thrombosis and blockage of the stent graft (2.5%). Systemic complications were found in 19 (8%) planned cases, with the most common being arrhythmias (1.7%). In patients with ruptured AAA, short-term mortality was 36.4%, while re-interventions were performed in 3 (27.3%) patients. Rates of surgical and systemic complications for ruptured AAA were 45.4% and 72.7%, respectively.

Conclusions
The AAA patients undergoing endovascular aneurysm repair showed relatively low short-term mortality. However, larger groups of patients with ruptured AAA are required in order to assess the outcomes in this sub-population.