Retrospective study of thoracic endovascular aortic repair as a first-line treatment for traumatic blunt thoracic aortic injury

Objective This study sought to confirm if thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) was an appropriate therapeutic strategy for blunt thoracic aortic injury (BTAI). Methods Between 3/2005 and 12/2020, 104 patients with BTAI were brought to our hospital. The severity of each trauma case was evaluated using the Injury Severity Score (ISS); aortic injuries were classified as type I to IV according to Society for Vascular Surgery guidelines. Initial treatment was categorized into four groups: nonoperative management (NOM), open aortic repair (OAR), TEVAR, or emergency room thoracotomy/cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ERT/CPR). Results The patients' mean age and ISS were 56.7 +/- 20.9 years and 48.3 +/- 20.4, respectively. Type III or IV aortic injury were diagnosed in 82 patients. The breakdown of initial treatments was as follows: NOM for 28 patients, OAR for four, TEVAR for 47, and ERT/CPR for 25. The overall early mortality rate was 32.7%. Logistic regression analysis confirmed ISS > 50 and shock on admission as risk factors for early mortality. The cumulative survival rate of all patients was 61.2% at 5 years after treatment. After initial treatment, eight patients receiving TEVAR required OAR. The cumulative rate of freedom from reintervention using TEVAR at 5 years was higher in approved devices than in custom-made devices (96.0 vs. 56.3%, p = 0.011). Conclusions Using TEVAR as an initial treatment for patients with BTAI is a reasonable approach. Patients with severe multiple traumas and shock on admission had poor early outcomes, and those treated with custom-made devices required significant rates of reintervention.