Endovascular Repair of One-hundred Urgent and Emergent free or Contained Thoraco-abdominal Aortic Aneurysms Ruptures. An International Multi-Center Trans-Atlantic experience.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the outcomes of urgent/emergent endovascular aortic repair of patients with free/contained ruptured thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (rTAAA).

BACKGROUND: Endovascular repair of rTAAA has been scarcely described in emergent setting.

METHODS: An international multicenter retrospective observational study (ClinicalTrials.govID:NCT05956873) from January-2015 to January-2023 in 6 European and 1 United States Vascular Surgery Centers. Primary end-points were technical success, 30-day and/or in-hospital mortality and follow-up survival.

RESULTS: A total of 100 rTAAA patients were included (75 male; mean age 73 y). All patients (86 contained and 14 free ruptures) were symptomatic and treated within 24-hours from diagnosis: multi-branched off-the-shelf devices (Zenith t-branch,Cook Medical Inc.Bjaeverskov,Denmark) in 88 patients, physician-modified endografts in 8, patient-specific device or parallel grafts in two patients each. Primary technical success was achieved in 89 patients and 30-day and/or in-hospital mortality was 24%. Major adverse events (MAEs) occurred in 34% of patients (permanent dialysis and paraplegia in 4 and 8 patients, respectively). No statistical differences were detected in mortality rates between free and contained ruptured patients (43%vs.21%;P=0.075). Multivariate analysis revealed contained rupture favoring technical success (Odd-Ratio10.1;95%Confidence-Interval:3.0-33.6;P=<0.001). MAEs (OR9.4;95%C-I:2.8-30.5;P=<0.001) and pulmonary complications (OR11.3;95%CI:3.0-41.5;P=<0.001) were independent risk factors for 30-day and/or in-hospital mortality. Median follow-up time was 13 months (interquartile range 5-24); 1-year survival rate was 65%. Aneurysm diameter>80 mm (Hazard-Ratio:2.0;95%CI:1.0-30.5;P=0.037), technical failure (HR:2.6;95%CI:1.1-6.5;P=0.045) and pulmonary complications (HR:3.0;95%CI:1.2-7.9;P=0.021) were independent risk factors for follow-up mortality.

CONCLUSION: Endovascular repair of rTAAA shows high technical success; the presence of free rupture alone appear not to correlate with early mortality. Effective prevention/management of post-operative complications is crucial for survival.