Abstract
PURPOSE: Blunt traumatic aortic injuries (TAIs) require timely surgical intervention to prevent death. We described the management and outcomes of polytrauma patients with TAI after open and endovascular repair in Western Australia. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients with TAI admitted to the State Trauma Unit, Royal Perth Hospital from 2008 to 2018. Patient data were obtained from the Trauma Database and supplemented with chart review. RESULTS: Among 57 patients with TAI, 45 (78.9%) were male, with a mean age of 41 years, and were mainly involved in motor vehicle crashes (89.5%). They had a median Injury Severity Score of 34 (interquartile range [IQR], 21-45) and a median length of stay of 18 days. Concurrent injuries occurred in nearly all patients, including musculoskeletal (56 patients, 98.2%; mainly fractures, 91.2%), central nervous system (33 patients, 57.9%; mostly hemorrhage), injury to the chest cavity (46 patients, 80.7%), and abdominal organs (32 patients, 56.1%). The most common TAI grade was III (56.1%), followed by grade I (22.8%) and grade II (21.1%); all grade IV patients died before vascular consultation. TAI was managed with endovascular surgery (thoracic endovascular aortic repair, TEVAR) in 37 (64.9%, of which early TEVAR was performed in 29 [78.4%]), open surgery in 4 (7.0%), and conservative management in 16 (28.1%). Vascular procedures had a median duration of 81 minutes (IQR, 60-97 minutes). Acute vascular surgery-related complications were infrequent (5.3%), and all occurred post-TEVAR, mainly involving upper limb ischemia that required bypass or stenting within 72 hours of the index procedure. After discharge (52 patients), 3 patients were lost to follow-up regarding surgical survival, and late complications occurred in 6 of 48 vascular surgery patients (12.5%), who all underwent TEVAR. CONCLUSIONS: TAI patients who received a vascular surgery review and were managed either conservatively or surgically showed favorable postdischarge survival rates and surgical results. Patients with grade II or III TAI who underwent endovascular repair had favorable short- and long-term outcomes.