Risk Factors for Survival following Open Surgical Repair of Ruptured Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: A 13-Year Experience

Background: Surgical treatment of a ruptured abdominal aorta aneurysm (RAAA) continues to present a significant challenge to surgeons. There are some patient factors such as age and gender that cannot be changed, and comorbid conditions can be optimized but not eliminated. The purpose of this study was to identify the risk factors affecting high mortality after the surgical repair of an RAAA. Methods: Data on 121 patients who underwent surgical repair for RAAAs between January 1997 and June 2011 in our institution were collected retrospectively. All the patients had been diagnosed by computed tomography (CT) scans, and intraoperative extra-luminal blood was visualized intraoperatively. Variables studied comprised demographic data; preoperative, operative, and postoperative data; and the causes of mortality. Multivariate regression analysis was used to determine the predictors of mortality. Results: One hundred eight (89.2%) patients were male and 13 (10.7%) were female at an average age of 68.9 ± 10.5 years. Totally, 121 patients underwent surgery for RAAAs. Fifty-four patients had aortic tube grafts, 32 aortobiiliac grafts, 20 aortobifemoral grafts, 1 aortoiliac graft, and 1 aortofemoral graft for the replacement of the RAAAs. Seven patients had only surgical exploration. Operative mortality was 41.3% (50 patients). The factors associated with mortality were preoperative shock, free blood, positive inotropic agent, hematocrit value, and need for blood and plasma. In the multivariate analysis, preoperative shock and positive inotropic agents were found to be significant as the predictors of death (OR: 19.8, 95%CI: 3.2-122.8 and OR: 8.6, 95% CI: 2.9-26.3, respectively). Conclusion: This study revealed that the preoperative clinical findings affected the mortality associated with RAAAs.