Plasma thrombin-antithrombin complex, prothrombin fragments 1 and 2, and D-dimer levels are elevated after endovascular but not open repair of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm.

INTRODUCTION

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is associated with hypercoagulability, evidenced by increased markers of coagulation activation, including thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT), prothrombin fragments 1 and 2 (F1+2), and D-dimer. Our aim was to compare the effect of endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) and open aneurysm repair (OAR) on changes in coagulation activation markers after intervention.

METHODS

Consecutive patients with AAAs reaching their intervention threshold in a tertiary vascular referral unit in the United Kingdom were invited to participate. The coagulation markers TAT, F1+2, and D-dimer were measured in venous blood collected at baseline and at 5 months after intervention. A forward stepwise multiple linear regression model was used to identify whether treatment by OAR or EVAR had an effect on changes in coagulation factors, independent of significant covariates.

RESULTS

The study included 47 patients (14 EVAR, 33 OAR; 85% men) who were a median age of 76 years (range, 69.5-80 years). Aortic diameter at intervention was 5.9 cm (range, 5.5-6.8 cm). There were no significant differences in clinical, anthropometric, or hematologic parameters between groups. At baseline, TAT (P = .13), F1+2 (P = .08), and D-dimer (P = .11) were similar in EVAR and OAR patients. Postintervention, there was a significant increase in TAT (3.0 [2.1-6.0] vs 7.2 [6.3-8.4] ng/mL; P = .03), F1+2 (242 [189-323] vs 392 [312-494] ng/mL; P = .003), and D-dimer (457 [336-615] vs 1197 [840-1509] ng/mL; P = .002) in the EVAR group. No significant changes were observed after intervention in the OAR group.

CONCLUSIONS

AAA-related hypercoagulability persists after intervention, with increased TAT, F1+2, and D-dimer levels after EVAR. These findings suggest a potential period of increased cardiovascular risk in the postoperative period after EVAR.