Clinical outcomes of endovascular aortic repair in blunt traumatic aortic injury: A retrospective case series and a CARE-compliant case report.

Six patients with blunt traumatic aortic injury underwent endovascular aortic repair at a single institution over approximately a decade.

• Patients were admitted from 2014 to 2023.
• All patients presented with symptoms such as chest pain or were diagnosed with aortic injury on chest computerized tomography after motor vehicle collisions.
• All patients underwent computed tomography arteriography to confirm the diagnosis and assess the aortic injury.
• Five patients were classified as grade II injury and one was classified as grade IV injury.

The patient with grade IV aortic injury and intraoperative shock died of respiratory failure postoperatively.

• This was the only mortality in the series, representing 1 of 6 patients (approximately 17% mortality).
• The patient had both grade IV injury severity and experienced intraoperative shock.
• Death was attributed to respiratory failure in the postoperative period.
• This case was presented as a CARE-compliant case report within the study.

The remaining five patients who underwent EVAR had favorable outcomes over a mean follow-up of 3 years.

• Mean follow-up duration was 3 years.
• No recurrent chest pain, spinal cord ischemia, or other aorta-related complications were observed during follow-up.
• All five surviving patients were classified as grade II injury.
• Favorable outcomes were noted across all surviving cases.

Two of the six patients experienced non-aortic complications that were managed conservatively.

• One patient experienced a pulmonary embolism.
• Another patient had a cerebral infarction.
• Both complications were managed conservatively without surgical intervention.
• These complications occurred despite successful EVAR of the aortic injury.

EVAR was identified as an effective treatment for BTAI, particularly for reducing early mortality and complications.

• The minimally invasive nature of EVAR was cited as contributing to favorable outcomes.
• The study emphasized that careful evaluation of comorbidities and associated injuries is crucial, particularly in older patients.
• The case series spanned nearly a decade (2014–2023) at a single institution.
• The authors noted that EVAR's favorable outcomes support its use as the management approach for BTAI.