title: Decision-making aspects in the timing of surgical intervention in aortic rupture.
abstract: Twenty-one consecutive patients with traumatic rupture of the thoracic aorta were treated at the University Hospital of Basel, Switzerland. The patients were divided into two groups according to their clinical status at the time of surgery. Six patients with unstable vital functions underwent immediate surgery (group 1), while 15 patients were operated upon semi-urgently because of delayed diagnosis or electively (group 2). Five of 6 patients undergoing immediate repair in group 1 died intraoperatively, 3 of 15 patients with deferred surgery expired postoperatively after a period of 6 weeks to 3 months. All 13 survivors underwent follow-up for 10 months to 20 years. NMR imaging of the aorta in 12 patients revealed neither pseudoaneurysms nor stenosis at the anastomoses. The results indicate that the timing of the surgical intervention in stable contained aortic rupture with serious associated injuries should preferably be deferred until after stabilization of the clinical status.
authors.affiliation: Cardio-thoracic Unit, University Hospital, Basle, Switzerland.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stulz
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Reymond
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Bertschmann
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Graedel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000293:injuries*; D001019:Aortic Rupture / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D001027:Aortography; D002423:Cause of Death; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015996:Survival Rate; D013557:Switzerland / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed