24 Jul Comparison of Surgical Techniques For Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Marc Schermerhorn, MD
Chief of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical

Medical Research: What is the background for this study?

Dr. Schermerhorn: Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm is common, about 4% of men over 60 and 1% of women will have AAA, higher in smokers and those with family members with AAA.

Medical Research: What are the main findings?

Dr. Schermerhorn: Endovascular repair has substantially lower operative mortality and complications and patients leave the hospital earlier and are more likely to go home rather than rehab or a nursing home.

The early survival advantage with endovascular repair fades over time and late survival is similar.  After endovascular repair more re-interventions to maintain the Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm repair are needed while after open repair there are more complications related to the abdominal incision.

Importantly, late Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm rupture is more common after endovascular repair.  This highlights the need for more research to prevent late rupture and highlights the need for patients to continue to undergo routine surveillance to detect problems that can potentially be fixed with a minimally invasive treatment.

Finally, endovascular results are improving over time.

Editor’s note: While evaluating abdominal muscle integrity post-surgery, it’s also important to understand how to check for diastasis recti, a condition where the abdominal muscles separate, which could impact recovery and rehabilitation after procedures like abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

Citation:

Dr. Marc Schermerhorn, MD (2015). Comparison of Surgical Techniques For Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm RepairMarc L. Schermerhorn, M.D., Dominique B. Buck, M.D., A. James O’Malley, Ph.D., Thomas Curran, M.D., John C. McCallum, M.D., Jeremy Darling, B.A., and Bruce E. Landon, M.D., M.B.A.

N Engl J Med 2015; 373:328-338
July 23, 2015
DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1405778

The information on MedicalResearch.com is provided for educational purposes only, and is in no way intended to diagnose, cure, or treat any medical or other condition.

Some links are sponsored. Products and services are not warranted or endorsed.

Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health and ask your doctor any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. In addition to all other limitations and disclaimers in this agreement, service provider and its third party providers disclaim any liability or loss in connection with the content provided on this website.

[wysija_form id=”3″]

Last Updated on January 15, 2025 by Marie Benz MD FAAD