• Randall R De Martino, Brian W Nolan, Philip P Goodney, Catherine K Chang, Andres Schanzer, Robert Cambria, Daniel J Bertges, Jack L Cronenwett, and Vascular Study Group of Northern New England.
• Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA.
• J. Vasc. Surg. 2010 Jul 1; 52 (1): 5-12.e1.

ObjectiveOperative mortality of patients undergoing symptomatic abdominal aortic aneurysm (Sx-AAA) repair has been reported at 6% to 30% during the past 25 years. We used a multicenter regional database to describe the contemporary outcomes of patients undergoing repair of Sx-AAA.MethodsAll patients undergoing infrarenal AAA repair in 11 hospitals comprising the Vascular Study Group of Northern New England (VSGNNE) between 2003 and 2009 were studied. Sx-AAA was prospectively defined as an AAA accompanied by abdominal or back pain or tenderness, but without rupture. The primary study end point was in-hospital mortality. Secondary end points included in-hospital postoperative major adverse events (MAE) and late survival. These outcomes were compared between symptomatic patients and contemporary VSGNNE cohorts of elective (E-AAA) and ruptured AAAs (R-AAAs) treated within the same study period.ResultsDuring the study period, 2386 AAA repairs were performed, comprising 1959 (82%) E-AAAs, 156 (7%) Sx-AAAs, and 271 (11%) R-AAAs. Repair was endovascular in 945 (48%) E-AAAs, 60 (38%) Sx-AAAs, and 33 (12%) R-AAAs. Hospital mortality was 1.7% for E-AAA repair and 1.3% for Sx-AAA repair, but was 34.7% for R-AAA repair (P < .001). The MAE rates were 20%, 35%, and 63%, respectively, for E-AAA, Sx-AAA, and R-AAA repairs (P < .001). The mean Glasgow Aneurysm Score (GAS) for Sx-AAA patients who survived was 79 +/- 12. Those who died had an average score of 92 +/- 7, and 83% of all Sx-AAA and R-AAA patients who died had a GAS >85. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that at 1 and 4 years, Sx-AAA repair was associated with intermediate survival (83% and 68%) compared with E-AAA repair (89% and 73%) and R-AAA repair (49% and 35%; P < .001).ConclusionThe operative mortality of patients with Sx-AAA in contemporary practice appears better than that previously reported in the literature. Despite low operative mortality, MAE and late survival are intermediate compared with E-AAA and R-AAA repair. Review of previous series shows a trend for lower operative mortality after Sx-AAA repair in more recent series, which likely reflects improved perioperative care and more use of endovascular aneurysm repair.Copyright (c) 2010 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

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