Changes in treatment patterns of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms in the United States

Background: The introduction of endovascular repair provides an alternative to traditional open repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAA). Its utility is not well defined, however. Using a national database, we studied the treatment patterns and outcomes of TAAA to gain insight into its contemporary surgical practice in the United States.

Methods: Records of TAAA patients who received endovascular and open repair were retrieved from the 2002 to 2018 National Inpatient Sample database. Each cohort was stratified into 4 age groups: ≤50, 51 to 60, 61 to 70, and >70 years. Patient characteristics and in-hospital outcomes were compared between the 2 repair modalities. Temporal trends were investigated.

Results: Endovascular repair use increased steadily, whereas open repair volume remained stable until 2012, before declining by 50% by 2018. This appears to be associated with a declining number of open repairs in patients age >60 years. Patients who underwent endovascular repair were older and had a higher Charlson Comorbidity Index (mean, 2.8 ± 1.7 vs 2.5 ± 1.5; P < .001) but lower in-hospital mortality (mean, 8.9% vs 17.1%; P < .001), shorter length of stay (mean, 10.1 ± 12.2 days vs 17.1 ± 17.4 days; P < .001), and fewer postoperative complications. A difference in mortality between open and endovascular repair was observed for patients age >60 years but not for patients age ≤60 years.

Conclusions: There has been a shift in the treatment of TAAA in the United States from open repair-dominant to endovascular repair-dominant. It has increased surgical access for older and more comorbid patients and has led to a decline in the use of open repair while lowering in-hospital mortality.