Endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm in octogenarians: clinical outcomes and complications

Background Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) is associated with decreased perioperative morbidity and mortaliy in comparison with open repair, and thus octagenarians are traditionally offered EVAR given their age and medical comorbidities. The aim of this study was to investigate outcomes and predictors of complications associated with EVAR in octogenarians. Methods We conducted a retrospective chart review of consecutive patients aged 80 years and older who received an EVAR between August 2010 and January 2017 at a single centre in Toronto, Ontario. We conducted univariate comparisons and then completed logistic regression to determine predictors of complications. We used Kaplan-Meier analysis to explore survival times. Results A total of 154 octogenarians underwent an EVAR during the study period for an infrarenal aneurysm with a mean size of 64.8 (standard deviation [SD] 12.7) mm. The mean age of the patients was 84.1 (SD 3.7) years, and most patients (81%) were men. Eighteen patients presented with a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Ninety-five (62%) patients sustained a complication. Fifty percent of patients experienced an intraoperative complication. A majority of these (77%) resulted in an endoleak, with type II endoleaks requiring no further intervenion being the most common (58%,n= 45). The remaining complications (n= 70) occurred postoperatively, with myocardial ischemia (n= 24) and dysrhythmias (n= 10) being the most common. Past aortic surgery (chi(2)= 8.62,p= 0.014, CramerV= 0.27) was found to be a multivariate predictor of complications. Most patients (88%) continued follow-up to an average of 20.9 months. Twenty-one patients (13%) died. Nine of these deaths (43%) occurred during the index admission and involved a ruptured AAA. Past aortic surgery was the only predictor of vascular complications. The mean survival time after EVAR was 57.63 months for patients without events. Conclusion Endovascular aneurysm repair in octogenarians is a suitable form of therapy with acceptable short- and long-term results in the elective setting. Past aortic surgery was a predictor of complications in this population.