title: Endovascular treatment of ruptured and symptomatic abdominal aortic aneurysms.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report the experience of endovascular repair (ER) in patients with ruptured and symptomatic abdominal aortic aneurysms (rAAA and sAAA), comparing results with a cohort of controls who underwent open repair (OR) of sAAA or rAAA.
  
  
  METHODS
  A historically controlled cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective data from 21 patients who underwent ER and prospective data from 23 patients who underwent OR.
  
  
  METHODS
  Results were compared using the Mann-Whitney U-test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eleven ER patients had sAAAs and 10 had rAAAs. Nine OR patients had rAAAs and 13 had sAAAs. Thirty-day mortality was 11% in patients with rAAA in the ER group, and 54% in the OR group (p=0.03). There were no post-operative deaths in the patients who had an sAAA in the ER group, and one death in the patients who had sAAA in the OR group. Results as expressed as mean ER value versus mean OR value and p-value. ER was associated with significant reductions in the length of operation (2.6 versus 3.1h, p=0.03), blood transfusion requirements (0.86 versus 10.7 units p<0.01), time in critical care (1.5 versus 6.1 days, p=0.02), and total hospital stay (8.5 versus 17.5 days, p=0.01) compared with OR. There was no difference in time from admission to arrival in theatre between the two groups (3.4 versus 5.0h, p=0.35).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients with rAAA and sAAA that are suitable for stenting, ER has reduced mortality compared with open repair. Assessment for ER does not cause a pre-operative delay, operating time is reduced, blood transfusion requirements are reduced and there is a faster recovery.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Sciences Department, University of Leicester, Clinical Sciences Building, Leicester, UK. sarahcfranks@btinternet.com
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Franks
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lloyd
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fishwick
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bown
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sayers
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017542:Aneurysm, Ruptured / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D001803:Blood Transfusion / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007083:Iliac Artery / Q000601:surgery; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D018579:Patient Selection; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D015607:Stents; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome