Abdominal aortic aneurysm in Chinese patients

Area of Science:

• Vascular Surgery
• Aortic Aneurysm Research
• Public Health

Background:

• Infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) pose significant health risks.
• Surgical intervention is a primary treatment for AAA.
• Understanding outcomes and patient selection is crucial for AAA management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the outcomes of aneurysmectomy for infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms.
• To compare operative mortality between elective and emergency AAA surgeries.
• To assess factors influencing surgical intervention rates in AAA patients.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 120 Chinese patients with infrarenal AAA from 1975-1983.
• Analysis of surgical outcomes for 72 patients who underwent aneurysmectomy.
• Categorization of surgeries into elective and emergency procedures.

Main Results:

• Operative mortality was 4.4% for elective aneurysmectomy and 33.3% for emergency cases.
• All 27 patients with ruptured AAA underwent surgery.
• Only 48.4% of patients with intact AAA received surgical treatment; 35 declined and 13 were unfit.
• Peptic ulcer disease was present in 26.4% of patients.

Conclusions:

• Emergency surgery for ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms carries a high mortality risk.
• Patient factors, including willingness and fitness, significantly impact surgical rates for intact AAA.
• High prevalence of comorbid conditions like peptic ulcer disease warrants consideration in AAA patient management.