Background: Blunt traumatic aortic injury (BTAI) is a potentially fatal condition, typically resulting from high-velocity trauma. To date, little is known about this type of injury among skiers, who form the largest patient cohort with aortic injuries in the alpine region of Tyrol, Austria. Methods: This retrospective, single-center study at the University Hospital of Innsbruck analyzed patients who underwent endovascular treatment for blunt traumatic aortic injury from 2005 to 2023. Patient data were extracted from electronic and digitalized medical history records. Subsequent analyses compared the baseline characteristics and clinical results of the skiing accident (SA) group to the motor vehicle accident (MVA) group. Results: A total of 48 BTAI patients receiving TEVAR were included, 25 (52%) from SAs versus 23 (48%) from MVAs, who were predominantly male (92% vs. 78.3%). Despite similar preoperative risk profiles and ASA Scores (1.44 vs. 1.74) and no marked differences in BTAI injury grades or the affected aortic zones, significant disparities emerged: the SA group experienced shorter median ICU stays (3 vs. 11 days, p = 0.0007), fewer concomitant injuries (5 vs. 7, p = 0.005), and lower Injury Severity Scores (ISSs) (29 vs. 33, p = 0.003) than their MVA counterparts. The presence of rib fractures alongside other thoracic injuries, such as lung injury, pneumothorax, or hemothorax, was strongly correlated with BTAI in patients following skiing accidents (OR = 128.5). Conclusions: The injury severities and locations of BTAI in SA patients were comparable to those in MVA patients, indicating similar mechanisms of thoracic trauma. However, the SA patients experienced fewer concurrent pelvic and extremity fractures, had less post-procedural morbidity, and required shorter ICU stays. The presence of rib fractures combined with other thoracic injuries strongly suggests BTAI. These indicators should lead to prompt imaging and appropriate therapy.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of a low-profile thoracic endograft (19-23 French) in subjects with blunt traumatic aortic injury.
METHODS: A prospective, multicenter study assessed the RelayPro thoracic endograft for the treatment of traumatic aortic injury. Fifty patients were enrolled at 16 centers in the United States between 2017 and 2021. The primary endpoint was 30-day all-cause mortality.
RESULTS: The cohort was mostly male (74%), with a mean age of 42.4 ± 17.2 years, and treated for traumatic injuries (4% Grade 1, 8% Grade 2, 76% Grade 3, and 12% Grade 4) due to motor vehicle collision (80%). The proximal landing zone was proximal to the left subclavian artery in 42%, and access was primarily percutaneous (80%). Most (71%) were treated with a non-bare stent endograft. Technical success was 98% (one early type Ia endoleak). All-cause 30-day mortality was 2% (compared with an expected rate of 8%), with an exact two-sided 95% confidence interval [CI] of 0.1%, 10.6% below the performance goal upper limit of 25%. Kaplan-Meier analysis estimated freedom from all-cause mortality to be 98% at 30 days through 4 years (95% CI, 86.6%-99.7%). Kaplan-Meier estimated freedom from major adverse events, all-cause mortality, paralysis, and stroke, was 98.0% at 30 days and 95.8% from 6 months to 4 years (95% CI, 84.3%-98.9%). There were no strokes and one case of paraplegia (2%) during follow-up.
CONCLUSIONS: RelayPro was safe and effective and may provide an early survival benefit in the treatment of blunt traumatic aortic injury.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to compare the clinical characteristics, treatment approaches, and outcomes of the Stanford Type B traumatic aortic dissection (TAD) with non-traumatic aortic dissection (NTAD), and assess better management for TAD.
METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed patients who underwent thoracic endovascular aortic repair for Stanford type B aortic dissection at The First Hospital of China Medical University between 2014 and 2022. The patients were divided into TAD and NTAD groups based on whether they had a history of acute trauma. This study ultimately included 65 patients with TAD and 288 with NTAD. We assessed and compared the baseline characteristics, laboratory indicators, imaging features, surgical procedures, and follow-up results between the groups.
RESULTS: The TAD group was younger compared to the NTAD group (50.00 [IQR40.00-59.00] vs. 55.00 [IQR 47.00-61.00] years, p = 0.020). A lower percentage of the TAD group had a history of hypertension (20% vs. 71.18%, p < 0.001). The length of aortic dissection was shorter in the TAD group compared to the NTAD group (30.00 [IQR 22.00-40.00] vs. 344.00 [IQR 237.25-400.00] mm, p < 0.001). All patients with TAD underwent TEVAR following the same strategy as NTAD. The mean preoperative duration was 7.00 (IQR 2.00-14.00) days in the TAD group and 11.00 (IQR 8.00-15.00) days in the NTAD group (p < 0.001). TAD showed fewer complications after TEVAR in mid-to-long-term follow-up.
CONCLUSIONS: TAD is distinct from NTAD. TAD typically presents with more localized lesions than NTAD, and the patients experience a shorter preoperative duration and a better mid-to-long-term outcome.

Blunt thoracic aortic injury (BTAI) is fatal and requires thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for its optimal management. Performing TEVAR requires multidisciplinary specialists and supportive facilities.  We report a case of an 89-year-old man who presented to the emergency department with blunt trauma. Whole-body computed tomography (CT) revealed grade II aortic injury with disrupted blood flow to the left kidney. Sudden paralysis of the left lower extremity and distal progression of the aortic dissection occurred. However, TEVAR could not be performed immediately. Therefore, an external shunt from the right common femoral artery to the left lower extremity was created with angioplasty, superior mesenteric artery (SMA) stenting, and celiac artery (CA) balloon dilatation. The patient\'s condition stabilized, and he was transferred to a hospital where TEVAR was performed. Selective arterial catheterization (SAC) for treating intraperitoneal organ malperfusion caused by BTAI may be an effective bridging therapy for TEVAR.

We present the case of a 59-year-old male who sustained an ascending aortic injury and a subdural hematoma after a head on collision. After undergoing emergent craniotomy for evacuation of the subdural hematoma, he was maintained with strict blood pressure control. Once able to be safely anticoagulated, he underwent replacement of the ascending aorta. This exceedingly rare case was managed by a multidisciplinary team approach that led to an optimal outcome given his disastrous multi-traumatic injuries.

Blunt aortic injury is the second most prevalent cause of patient fatalities post-trauma, closely following head injuries as the leading cause. In recent years, thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) has evidently improved survival rates and reduced complications in patients suffering from blunt traumatic aortic injury (BTAI) in comparison to open surgery and non-operative management. It is difficult to characterize the appropriate criteria for the timing of TEVAR, whether early or delayed for BTAI, considering the discrepancies related to timing. Electronic databases, including PubMed, Scopus, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and Embase, were searched through April 2023. The primary outcomes were short-term mortality and hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) stays. Time to TEVAR, acute respiratory distress syndrome, sepsis, deep vein thrombosis, delayed stroke, and renal failure were also evaluated. We included a total of seven studies, comprising 4177 patients who met the inclusion criteria. Short-term mortality was significantly higher in the early TEVAR group (RR: 1.86; 95% confidence interval (CI); (1.26-2.74); p<0.001; I2=33%). In contrast, the ICU length of stay was significantly shorter in the early group (mean difference: -2.82 days; 95% CI; (-4.09 - -1.56); p<0.0001; I2=55%). There was no significant difference between both groups in the presenting profile or postoperative complications. Patients undergoing delayed TEVAR had markedly lower mortality rates but a longer ICU stay. The need for future studies with more robust designs is imperative to investigate the factors influencing the timing of repair and the associated outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 80% of patients with blunt thoracic aortic injury (BTAI) die before reaching the hospital. Most people who survive the initial injury eventually die without appropriate treatment. This study analyzed and reported the treatment strategy of a single center for BTAI in the last 10 years and the early and middle clinical results.
METHODS: This retrospective study included patients diagnosed with BTAI at Xijing Hospital from 2013 to 2022. All inpatients with BTAI aged ≥ 18 years were included in this study. The clinical data, imaging findings, and follow-up results were retrospectively collected and analyzed. The Kaplan-Meier curve and multivariate logistic regression were used to compare survivors and nonsurvivors.
RESULTS: A total of 72 patients (57% men) were diagnosed with BTAI, with a mean age of 54.2 ± 9.1 years. The injury severity score was 24.3 ± 18, with Grade I BTAI1 (1.4%), Grade II 17 (23.6%), Grade III 52 (72.2%), and Grade IV 2 (2.8%) aortic injuries. Traffic accidents were the main cause of BTAI in 32 patients (44.4%). Most patients had trauma, 37 had rib fractures (51.4%), Sixty patients (83.3%) underwent thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) surgery, eight (11.1%) underwent conservative treatment, and only four (5.6%) underwent open surgery. The overall hospitalization mortality was 12.5%. In multivariate logistic regression, elevated creatinine levels (P = 0.041) and high Glasgow coma scale (GCS) score (P = 0.004) were the predictors of hospital mortality. The median follow-up period was 57 (28-87) months. During the follow-up period, all-cause mortality was 5.6% and no aortic-related deaths were reported. Three patients (4.2%) needed secondary surgery and two of them underwent endovascular repair.
CONCLUSIONS: Although TEVAR surgery may be associated with intra- or postoperative dissection rupture or serious complications in the treatment of Grade III BTAI, the incidence rate was only 8.9%. Nevertheless, TEVAR surgery remains a safe and feasible approach for the treatment of Grade II or III BTAI, and surgical treatment should be considered first,. A high GCS score and elevated creatinine levels in the emergency department were closely associated with hospital mortality. Younger patients need long-term follow-up after TEVAR.

UNASSIGNED: Most blunt thoracic aortic injuries (BTAIs) may be treated using thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR), and most blunt abdominal traumas (BATs) are managed conservatively. We hypothesized that severe trauma that needs TEVAR may increase the risk of delayed intra-abdominal hemorrhage in patients with concomitant BTAI and BAT because of the potential hemorrhagic shock, disseminated intravascular coagulopathy, blood loss, consequent need for blood transfusion, and procedure-associated heparinization.
UNASSIGNED: From 2015 to 2019, blunt trauma patients with concomitant severe chest trauma and abdominal trauma who could be managed conservatively were studied. The probability of delayed intra-abdominal hemorrhage was compared between patients with concomitant BTAI who received or did not undergo TEVAR. Propensity score matching (PSM), inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW), and multivariate logistic regression (MLR) were used to eliminate discrepancies between these 2 groups.
UNASSIGNED: Among the 341 studied patients, there were 26 patients with BTAI, and 19 of them underwent TEVAR. Delayed intra-abdominal hemorrhage was observed in 4 patients (21.1%, 4/19) who underwent TEVAR. Both PSM and IPTW showed that patients who underwent TEVAR for concomitant BTAI had a greater delayed need for blood transfusions and a larger proportion of delayed intra-abdominal hemorrhage than patients who did not undergo the procedure. The MLR analysis showed that TEVAR for BTAI was an independent risk factor for delayed intra-abdominal hemorrhage (odds ratio: 10.534, 95%, p<0.001).
UNASSIGNED: An increased probability of delayed intra-abdominal hemorrhage in patients with BAT (who could be managed conservatively) was observed in patients who underwent TEVAR for concomitant BTAI.
CONCLUSIONS: More attention should be give in patients with high grade aortic injuries and concomitant abdominal trauma.

BACKGROUND: Blunt aortic injury is a special type of aortic disease. Due to its low incidence, high prehospital mortality and high probability of leakage diagnosis, the timely identification of patients with blunt aortic injury who survive the initial injury has always been a clinical challenge.
METHODS: We report a case of traumatic aortic pseudoaneurysm with right iliac artery dissection aneurysm that was diagnosed 3 mo after a traffic accident. The patient is a 76-year-old male who was knocked down by a fast-moving four-wheel motor vehicle while crossing the road (the damage mechanism was side impact). He received chest, cranial computed tomography (CT) and whole abdomen enhanced CT in the local hospital. The images suggested subarachnoid hemorrhage, right frontoparietal scalp hematoma, fracture of the right clavicle and second rib, lump-shaped mediastinal shadow outside the anterior descending thoracic aorta (mediastinal hematoma), mesenteric vascular injury with hematoma formation, pelvic fracture, and subluxation of the left sacroiliac joint. After the pelvic fracture was fixed with an external stent, he was sent to our hospital for further treatment. In our hospital, he successfully underwent partial resection of the small intestine and CT-guided screw internal fixation of the left sacroiliac joint and returned to the local hospital for rehabilitation treatment. However, since the accident, the patient has been suffering from mild chest pain, which has not aroused the attention of clinicians. During rehabilitation, his chest pain gradually worsened, and the thoracic aorta computed tomography angiography performed in the local hospital showed a pseudoaneurysm in the initial descending segment of the aortic arch. After transfer to our hospital, a dissecting aneurysm of the right external iliac artery was incidentally found in the preoperative evaluation. Finally, endovascular stent graft repair was performed, and he was discharged on the 10th day after the operation. No obvious endo-leak was found after 4 years of follow-up.
CONCLUSIONS: We highlight that emergency trauma centers should consider the possibility of aortic injury in patients with severe motor vehicle crashes and repeat the examination when necessary to avoid missed diagnoses.

To evaluate outcomes after thoracic endovascular aortic repair in young patients sustaining traumatic blunt aortic injury (BAI) using iliac extension stent-grafts because of small aortic diameters measuring <24 mm.
Retrospective analysis regarding clinical presentation, trauma management, endovascular techniques and outcome of patients with a small descending aorta involving an iliac extension stent-graft to treat traumatic BAI.
Among 48 patients who suffered a BAI and underwent thoracic endovascular aortic repair, 7 received iliac extension stent-grafts. They were 27.4/[standard deviation (SD): -13.1] years old and 6 out of 7 were male. The iliac extension stent-graft was used as distal stent-graft, and a thoracic stent-graft was used in most patients as proximal extension. We achieved overall technical success in all patients during a procedure lasting 92.6 (SD: 54.9) min. One patient died 2 days after the endovascular procedure of hypoxic brain injury, and another died after 17 days of liver failure. That patient had also suffered a spinal cord injury following the procedure, as the stent-graft had been deployed in Ishimaru Zone 2, and the carotid to subclavian bypass had to be omitted because of his critical condition. Control computed tomographic angiographs was available in 6 patients after 7.7 (SD: 5.1) days and showed no endoleak. The surviving patients were discharged after 18.4 (SD: 13.4) days.
Treating traumatic BAI using iliac extension stent-grafts in young patients with small aortic diameters is feasible. We observed no mortality caused by the BAI or related to endovascular therapy within this small patient cohort.