Our early and mid-term results in thoracic aorta pathologies undergoing endovascular repair

Objectives: This study aims to present early and mid-term results of thoracic endovascular aortic repair. Patients and methods: A total of 24 male patients (mean age 63.5 years; range, 31 to 80 years) who underwent endovascular aortic repair in our clinic due to a descending thoracic aortic aneurysm or acute aortic syndrome between December 2011 and January 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. Data including demographic characteristics, pre-procedural additional diagnoses, mortality and morbidity data, length of intensive care unit and hospital stays, amount of blood products used, and complications were recorded. Results: The mean follow-up was 42.7 (range, 22 to 60) months, the mean length of intensive care unit stay was one (range, 1 to 3) day, and the mean length of hospital stay was 5.5 (range, 4 to 30) days. The mean amount of erythrocyte suspension applied during the procedure was 0.4 (range, 0 to 3) Unit. Post-procedural acute kidney failure developed in two and transient paraplegia in three patients. Endoleak was detected in three patients during follow-up. Peri-procedural mortality occurred in one patient. The operative mortality rate (mortality within the first 30 days) was 8% and the total mortality rate was 17%. Conclusion: The advantages of endovascular aortic repair include short intensive care and hospital stays, low blood product use, the ability to perform regional anesthesia in high-risk comorbid patients, and a low operative mortality rate. Our study results suggest that thoracic endovascular aortic repair is a promising and valid therapeutic technique with reduced complications rates, particularly for patients with comorbidities. [Turk J Vasc Surg 2019; 28(2.000): 78-83]