Experience of endovascular repair of thoracic aortic dissection after blunt trauma injury in a district general hospital

Abstract

Background: Traumatic thoracic aortic dissection is uncommon in clinical practice; however, it is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Thoracic aortic dissection is usually caused by sudden deceleration resulting from a traffic accident or fall. Aortic injury after blunt trauma is a critical condition. This study reported the outcomes of endovascular repair of acute traumatic aortic dissection in patients at a district general hospital. Methods: In this study, we retrospectively reviewed the clinical data of eight patients with acute traumatic aortic dissection after a blunt trauma who had undergone thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) between January 2012 and December 2015 at a district general hospital in Taiwan. Results: The median age of the patients was 49 +/- 22 years (range, 20-77 years), and 6 of the 8 (75%) patients were men. Five patients were involved in traffic accidents, and 3 patients had fallen from heights. The injury severity score (ISS) of the patients ranged from 17 to 66. In all patients, the aortic injury was located near the origin of the left subclavian artery (LSA). Four patients had seal ostium of subclavian artery, left. None of the patients developed paraplegia or lower extremity ischemia. Moreover, all patients had concomitant injuries, and no patients died postoperatively. Conclusions: Endovascular repair is a rapid and minimally invasive therapy for patients with traumatic aortic injury and is associated with favorable technical results.