Fate of patients unwilling or unsuitable to undergo surgical intervention for a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm

Abstract

Introduction: The primary objective of this study was to assess the duration of in-hospital survival in 57 patients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (RAAA) who did not undergo surgical intervention.

Report: Two hours after registration in the emergency room, 58% (95% CI 45-71) of patients were still alive. The median survival was 2.2 hours (interquartile range 1-18). In a subgroup including 26 haemodynamically stable patients, survival after 2 hours was 96% (95% CI 89-100).

Conclusion: In patients with an RAAA without surgical intervention, the duration of in-hospital survival is limited. However, a group of haemodynamically stable patients can be identified in whom survival is much longer.

Keywords: Abdominal; Aneurysm; Aortic aneurysm; Nonoperative therapy; Ruptured; Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm; Vascular surgical procedures; Withholding treatment.