RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Blunt thoracic aortic injury (BTAI) represents one of the most devastating scenarios of vascular trauma. Different management strategies are available with varying clinical outcomes. However, thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) has become the first-line option for most BTAI patients, mainly owing to its minimally invasive nature, yielding improved immediate results. This meta-analysis aims to investigate mortality, long-term survival, and reintervention following TEVAR in BTAI. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A systematic review conducted a comprehensive literature search on multiple electronic databases using strict search terms. Twenty-seven studies met the set inclusion/exclusion criteria. A proportional meta-analysis of extracted data was conducted using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Software v.4. RESULTS: 1498 BTAI patients who underwent TEVAR were included. Using the SVS grading system, 2.6% of the population had Grade 1 injuries, 13.6% Grade 2, 62.2% Grade, 19.6% Grade 4, and 1.9% unspecific. All-cause mortality did not exceed 20% in all studies except one outlier with a 37% mortality rate. Using the random-effects model, the pooled estimate of overall mortality was 12% (95%CI 5.35-8.55%; I2 = 70.6%). This was 91% (95%CI, 88.6-93.2; I2 = 30.2%) at 6 months, 90.1% (95%CI, 86.7-92.3; I2 = 53.6%) at 1-year, 89.2% (95%CI, 85.2-91.8; I2= 62.3%) at 2 years, and 88.1% (95%CI, 83.3-90.9; I2 = 69.6%) at 5 years. Moreover, the pooled estimate of reintervention was 6.4% (95%CI, 0.1-0.49%; I2 = 81.7%). CONCLUSION: Despite the high morbidity and mortality associated with BTAI, TEVAR has proven to be a safe and effective management strategy with favourable long-term survival and minimal need for reintervention. Nevertheless, diagnosis of BTAI requires a high index of suspicion with appropriate grading and prompt transfer to trauma centres with appropriate TEVAR facilities.
RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: With the incidence of thoracic aortic disease on the rise, total arch replacement (TAR) with frozen elephant trunk (FET) remains the gold-standard management strategy due to optimal results. Several FET devices exist commercially on the global market. However, the mainstay and most commonly used and reported device is the Thoraflex Hybrid Prosthesis (THP), with several recent reports suggesting its superiority. AREAS COVERED: This review aims to collate and summarize the evidence in the literature on the clinical outcomes of TAR with FET using THP, with a focus on mortality, neurological complications, endoleak, distal stent-induced new entry (dSINE), aortic remodeling, coagulopathy, and graft kinking. In addition, the design features of THP is discussed, and an overview of market competitors is also highlighted. EXPERT OPINION: THP consistently demonstrates its effectiveness in treating complex thoracic aortic pathology through favorable clinical outcomes, which can be attributed to its unique and innovative design. Rates of early mortality ranged 0.6-14.2%, neurological complications 0-25%, endoleak 0-8.4% and dSINE 0-14.5%, with minimal incidence of graft kinking and coagulopathy. Aortic remodeling is favorable and comparable to competitors. All this evidence solidifies THP as the leading FET device, particularly when combined with appropriate patient selection and surgical planning.
