COMPLICATIONS OF ELECTIVE ABDOMINAL AORTIC ANEURYSM SURGERY

Abstract

Because of significant reduction of rupture rate and increase in the patient’s life expectancy, elective surgical treatment in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm has been widely accepted. The present article aims at assessing the postoperative complications and mortality rate in patients who had been submitted to elective surgery for abdominal aortic aneurysms. This is a retrospective study, carried out on 126 consecutive patients who were operated on within a 10 years period, from 1993 to 2002. Variables included demographic data, clinical features, operation notes and postoperative outcome which were analyzed according to standard health system research. During 30 days after surgery, mortality rate was 8.4%. Mortality rate in patients older then 75 years of age was 12.5%. There was no specific correlation between associated disease and risk factors with mortality. Surgical complications were observed in 35 (29.6%) patients: 19 cases (15.2%) showed only one complication, 8 cases (6.7%) had two complications and another 8 (6.7%) had more than two complications. The most common complication was bronchopneumonia, which occurred in 10 (8.4%) patients. Results of this study suggest that there is a significant correlation between elective surgery and decreased complications of abdominal aortic aneurysm, offering a low rate of mortality and complication and a long life expectancy for the patients.