Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm: role of initial delay on survival.

In the years 1990 to 1997, 103 patients with RAAA were operated on at the Department of Vascular Surgery of the Hospital Na Homolce in Prague. Men outnumbered women, mean age was 70 years. The mean delay between onset of symptoms and hospital admission was 25 hours. Prior to transportation 85 patients were submitted to at least one confirmative evaluation test (CAT, ultrasound, angiography) and 33 patients to a combination of two or more herementioned examinations. Twenty-eight patients were referred via two or more hospital departments. In 71% of patients profound shock with oligoanuria and hypotension was found upon admission. Anuria/hypotension proved to occur in a significantly lower rate in later survivors compared to later non-survivors (S vs. NS = 30% vs. 92.1%, p < 0.002) and preoperative hematocrite and S-creatinine values copied the clinical trend. At surgery, persistent hypotension together with necessity of resuscitation steps as well as finding of free blood within the abdominal cavity showed up as further significant death predictors. Postoperatively, acute renal and/or multiorgan failure occurred in 36 patients and significantly prevailed in the NS vs. S group (48.3% vs. 22.5%, p < 0.03). Both early hemorrhage and myocardial infarction infavorably influenced the outcome. Seven patients (6.8%) expired during operation. The total of 63 patients died (61.2%) fifty-eight patients within the 30-day period (56.3%). Within the first five days 58.7% of all deaths occurred particularly related to hemorrhagic shock. The latter fatalities (41.3%) were caused by both organ failure and septic complications. In our cohort regardless of age, type or extent of surgery, outcome was determined by status upon admission. Delay in surgical treatment caused both by time consuming confirmative evaluation and patient's lengthy transfers is responsible for ominous protraction of the original shock. Especially in intraperitoneal rupture, the irreversible sequels of devastating hemorrhage only rarely do not lead to a fatal end albeit the patients survive the aortic reconstruction.