Endovascular repair is associated with superior clinical outcomes in patients transferred for treatment of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms.

PURPOSE: To compare in a population-based analysis the in-hospital mortality and complications following endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) vs. open repair in patients transferred for the management of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (RAAA). METHODS: Interrogation of the 2003-2007 Nationwide Inpatient Sample database identified 271 patients (205 men; mean age 71.7 years) who were transferred for RAAA treatment. Demographic, patient, and hospital characteristics were analyzed. Hierarchical multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to identify predictors of in-hospital mortality and complications; results are presented as the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: In comparison to open repair (n=207), endovascular repair (n=64) was associated with lower in-hospital mortality (36% vs. <18%, p<0.01) and a lower complication rate (78% vs. 66%, p<0.05). Transferred RAAA patients undergoing EVAR had lower in-hospital mortality (OR 0.21, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.49, p<0.01) and fewer complications (OR 0.49, 95% CI 0.26 to 0.95, p<0.05) than transferred patients having open repair. CONCLUSION: Compared to open repair, EVAR led to superior short-term clinical outcomes in transferred RAAA patients. In this clinical situation, transfer of stable RAAA patients to institutions capable of performing EVAR is recommended.