title: Recovery following treatment of descending thoracic aortic disease. A comparison between endovascular repair and open surgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to compare the postoperative course in patients treated by endovascular repair (endo) with patients treated by open surgery (open) for descending thoracic aortic disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-five patients treated with stent grafting for aneurysmal disease or type B dissection were compared with 35 historical controls treated by open surgery. Stay in the intensive care unit, need for artificial ventilation and to where the patient had been discharged, were noted. Pain medication, use of nasogastric tube, time until total oral nutrition, mobilization and the patients' mental condition in the postoperative period, were studied in the patients charts and the nursing reports.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Time on the intensive care unit or intermediate care unit was median 45 h in the endo group compared with 192 h in the open group. Eighty percent of the patients in the endo group were discharged directly to their homes in contrast to 23% after open surgery. In the endo group 67% of the patients started oral nutrition on the 1st postoperative day compared to 10% in the open group. There was a significantly faster mobilization in the endo group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was a significantly shorter recovery after stent grafting for descending thoracic aortic disease compared to patients operated with open surgical technique.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Medical Faculty, Norwegian University of Science and Technology and University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aasland
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lundbom
authors.forename: T O
authors.initials: TO
authors.lastname: Eide
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Odegård
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Aadahl
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Romundstad
authors.forename: H O
authors.initials: HO
authors.lastname: Myhre
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000601:surgery*; D017545:Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic / Q000601:surgery*; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures