Chest, Vol 101, 331-335, Copyright © 1992 by American College of Chest Physicians

ARTICLES

Determinants of outcome in lesions of the thoracic aorta in patients with multiorgan system trauma

AC Cernaianu, JH Cilley Jr, WA Baldino, RK Spence and AJ DelRossi
Department of Surgery, Cooper Hospital/University Medical Center, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Camden.

Of all patients presenting at our level 1 trauma center with multiorgan system injuries, 33 have been identified with acute lesions of the thoracic aorta. Mean severity injury score was 24 +/- 3. Four patients underwent resuscitative thoracotomy upon arrival in the emergency department. One survived and fully recovered. The rest underwent diagnostic procedures and repair of aortic lesions in conjunction with surgical treatment of other injured organ systems. The overall survival rate was 82 percent. Survivors arrived significantly faster to the ED and had lesser degree of multiorgan system injuries. There was no difference in the time spent to make the diagnosis of acute aortic disruption for survivors and nonsurvivors, nor was a difference in time to arrive in the operating room once the diagnosis of aortic injury has been established. Morbidity was related to ischemia to distal organs in four patients of whom two presented with multiple lesions of the thoracic aorta; two remained paralyzed and two had only lower limb spasticity. All discharged survivors were alive at 12 months' follow- up. The type of surgical repair did not influence the outcome of patients with single, typical aortic lesions; however, "clamp/sew" technique was not adequate when multiple aortic tears were found intraoperatively. The outcome of surgical treatment of the traumatic aortic lesions of patients with polytrauma may be influenced by the speed of arrival to the ED, the magnitude of multiorgan system involvement, and the application of appropriate surgical technique for repair according to the intrathoracic findings and the timing of aortic repair vis-a-vis other surgical treatment.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				R. Fattori, G. Napoli, L. Lovato, V. Russo, D. Pacini, A. Pierangeli, and G. Gavelli Indications for, Timing of, and Results of Catheter-Based Treatment of Traumatic Injury to the Aorta Am. J. Roentgenol., September 1, 2002; 179(3): 603 - 609. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. Langanay, J.-P. Verhoye, H. Corbineau, A. Agnino, T. Derieux, P. Menestret, Y. Logeais, and A. Leguerrier Surgical treatment of acute traumatic rupture of the thoracic aorta a timing reappraisal? Eur. J. Cardiothorac. Surg., February 1, 2002; 21(2): 282 - 287. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. T. Gurbuz, D. S. Weiman, and J. W. Pate Traumatic injury to the thoracic aorta Ann. Thorac. Surg., September 1, 1999; 68(3): 1116 - 1117. [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. C. Nicolosi, G. H. Almassi, M. Bousamra II, G. B. Haasler, and G. N. Olinger Mortality and Neurologic Morbidity After Repair of Traumatic Aortic Disruption Ann. Thorac. Surg., March 1, 1996; 61(3): 875 - 878. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				J. W. Pate, T. C. Fabian, and W. A. Walker Acute Traumatic Rupture of the Aortic Isthmus: Repair With Cardiopulmonary Bypass Ann. Thorac. Surg., January 1, 1995; 59(1): 90 - 98. [Abstract] [Full Text]