Five-year outcomes of elective infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm repair at a university hospital in Argentina / Resultados a cinco años de la reparación electiva del aneurisma de aorta abdominal infrarrenal en un hospital universitario de Argentina.

Objective: Few data about outcomes of elective infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair in Latin America have been published. The objective of the present study is to address this aspect in our population. Method: Retrospective cohort, in which patients with infrarenal AAA undergoing elective surgical or endovascular repair from January 2011 to May 2017 at a university hospital in Autonomous City of Buenos Aires were consecutively included. The primary endpoints were perioperative mortality and all-cause mortality during follow-up. Among the secondary endpoints, the requeriment of reinterventions was assessed. Results: 195 patients were included. Open surgery was performed in 72 patients (36.9%) and endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) in 123 (63.1%). Perioperative mortality in the surgery group was 2.8%, while no deaths were recorded in the endovascular group (p = 0.06). The median follow-up was 38 months. No statistically significant difference was found in long-term mortality incidence rate between patients who underwent EVAR and those who underwent open surgery (7% per year vs. 6.7% per year, p = 0.8). The requirement of reinterventions was significantly higher in the endovascular group (9.0% vs. 0%, p = 0.01). Conclusions: Survival analyses demonstrated no statistically significant differences in perioperative and long-term mortality for patients who underwent EVAR compared with those who underwent open surgery, while the former had a higher rate of reinterventions. The results observed in our population do not differ from those published in the United State or Europe.

Ojetivo: La evidencia surgida en Latinoamérica acerca de los resultados de la reparación electiva del aneurisma de aorta abdominal (AAA) es escasa, por lo que el objetivo de este estudio es abordar este aspecto en la población nacional. Método: Cohorte retrospectiva en la cual se incluyó de forma consecutiva a pacientes con AAA infrarrenal sometidos a reparación quirúrgica o endovascular en forma electiva desde enero de 2011 hasta mayo de 2017 en un hospital universitario de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires. Los puntos finales primarios fueron la mortalidad perioperatoria y la mortalidad por todas las causas durante el seguimiento. Entre los puntos finales secundarios se evaluó el requerimiento de reintervenciones. Resultados: Se incluyó a 195 pacientes. La operación abierta se llevó a cabo en 72 pacientes (36.9%), mientras que el procedimiento endovascular se practicó en 123 (63.1%). La mortalidad perioperatoria en el grupo quirúrgico fue de 2.8%, sin registro de muertes en el grupo endovascular (p = 0.06). La mediana de seguimiento fue de 38 meses. La incidencia de mortalidad tardía fue de 7%/año en pacientes con reparación endovascular y de 6.7%/año en los quirúrgicos (p = 0.8). El requerimiento de reintervenciones fue significativamente mayor en el grupo endovascular (9.0% vs. 0%, p = 0.01). Conclusiones: La mortalidad perioperatoria y la mortalidad tardía de los pacientes tratados de manera electiva por AAA en forma quirúrgica o endovascular fueron similares, en tanto que los pacientes sometidos a reparación endovascular requirieron mayor cantidad de reintervenciones. Los resultados observados en la población no difieren de los publicados en Estados Unidos o Europa.

Acute pulmonary embolism in a patient with mild COVID-19 symptoms: a case report.

BACKGROUND: The venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a frequent condition, which may worsen the prognosis of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Nevertheless, the incidence of this complication is unknown in patients with mild COVID-19 symptoms. CASE SUMMARY: A 26-year-old female nurse, who had been taking oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) treatment for the last 2 years, developed mild COVID-19 symptoms (rhinitis and anosmia). She underwent isolation at home and was subsequently followed up with telehealth visits. Fifteen days after her initial presentation, she developed acute onset sudden dyspnoea. On physical examination, she was found to be tachycardic with normal pulse oximetry. The initial risk score for VTE was moderate and laboratory results showed increased D-dimer level without other relevant findings. Computed tomography pulmonary angiography was performed, which confirmed low-risk subsegmental pulmonary embolism. DISCUSSION: Venous thromboembolism in patients who present with severe COVID-19 symptoms has already been described in the literature; its incidence is greater in patients hospitalized in intensive care units. Efforts to prevent VTE based on risk scores are widely recognized. However, the relationship in patients who present with mild COVID-19 symptoms and VTE is still unknown. Recently, experts on this field have introduced thromboprophylaxis guidelines including ambulatory patients based on the severity of COVID-19 symptoms and pro-thrombotic risk. Our patient showed no major risk for developing VTE; therefore, the VTE could be associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection or the eventual pro-thrombotic association with the concomitant use of OCPs.