Impact of blood coagulation and fibrinolytic system changes on early and mid term clinical outcome in patients undergoing stent endografting surgery.
OBJECTIVE
Blood coagulation and fibrinolytic system changes after endovascular repair (EVAR) of aortic pathologies are of great interest. We have examined the risk for consumption coagulopathy and its clinical implications early, and at a mid-term follow-up, in a prospective study.


METHODS
From June 2002 to June 2004, 41 patients for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), 16 for thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) and 13 for acute type-B dissection underwent EVAR. Plasminogen, fibrin degradation products (FDP) and D-dimer were monitored as markers of fibrinolysis. Platelet count, fibrinogen, antithrombin III and prothrombin were assayed as markers of coagulation. The aortic diameters were assessed by computed tomography (CT) scan.


RESULTS
FDP and D-Dimer levels significantly increased, while plasminogen values significantly decreased, on postoperative day 1 and 5, coagulation parameters significantly decreased on postoperative day 1 and 5. All parameters recovered on the 1st month of follow-up, except fibrinogen levels that showed a significant increase on month 1 and 6. We did not observe clinical complications related to coagulative disorders. There was no correlation between the preoperative diameter and the coagulative and fibrinolysis variations in the AAA and TAA group. Type-B dissection patients showed a significant correlation between the preoperative presence of a large false lumen and a high level of fibrinolysis.


CONCLUSIONS
EVAR leads to changes in coagulation and fibrinolysis, with characteristic developments. These latter have no clinical relevance and have no effect on early outcome and on mid-term follow-up.
Monaco
Mario
M
Department of Cardiac Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Via A. Falcone 258, 80127 Naples, Italy. mariomonaco55@libero.it
Di Tommaso
Luigi
L
Stassano
Paolo
P
Smimmo
Raffaele
R
De Amicis
Vincenzo
V
Pantaleo
Antonio
A
Pinna
Giovanni Battista
GB
Iannelli
Gabriele
G