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Objective: The aim of this time-trend analysis is to estimate long-term excess mortality and associated cardiovascular risk for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) patients after elective repair while addressing the changes in AAA management and patient selection over time. Background: Despite the intensification of endovascular aneurysm repair and cardiovascular risk management, Swedish population data suggest that AAA patients retain a persistently high long-term mortality after elective repair. The question is whether this reflects suboptimal treatment, a changing patient population over time, or a national phenomenon. Methods: Nationwide time-trend analysis including 40,730 patients (87% men) following elective AAA repair between 1995 and 2017. Three timeframes were compared, each reflecting changes in the use of endovascular aneurysm repair and intensification of cardiovascular risk management. Relative survival analyses were used to estimate diseasespecific excess mortality. Competing risk of death analysis evaluated the risk of cardiovascular versus noncardiovascular death. Sensitivity analysis evaluated the impact of changes in patient selection over time. Results: Short-term excess mortality significantly improved over time. Long-term excess mortality remained high with a doubled mortality risk for women (relative excess risk=1.87, 95% CI: 1.73--2.02). Excess mortality did not differ between age categories. The risk of cardiovascular versus noncardiovascular death remained similar over time, with a higher risk of cardiovascular death for women. Changes in patient population (ie, older and more comorbid patients in the latter period) marginally impacted excess mortality (2%). Conclusions: Despite changes in AAA care, patients retain a high longterm excess mortality after elective repair with a persistent high cardiovascular mortality risk. In this, a clear sex -- but no age -- disparity stands out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies imply a profound residual mortality risk following successful abdominal aorta aneurysm (AAA) repair. This excess mortality is generally attributed to increased cardiovascular risk. The aim of this study was (1) to quantify the excess residual mortality for patients with AAA, (2) to evaluate the cross sectional level of cardiovascular risk management, and (3) to estimate the potential of optimised cardiovascular risk management to reduce the excess mortality in these patients. Excess mortality was estimated through a systematic review and meta-analysis, and through data from the Swedish National Health Registry. Cardiovascular risk profiles were individually assessed during eligibility screening of patients with AAA for two multicentre pharmaceutical AAA stabilisation trials. The potential of full implementation of cardiovascular risk management was estimated through the validated Second Manifestations of ARTerial disease (SMART) risk scores algorithm. The meta-analysis showed a similarly impaired survival for patients who received early repair (small AAA) or regular repair (≥ 55 mm), and a further impaired survival for patients under surveillance for a small AAA. Excess mortality was further quantified using Swedish population data. The data revealed a more than quadrupled and doubled five year mortality rate for women and men who had their AAA repaired, respectively. Evaluation of the level of risk management of 358 patients under surveillance in 16 Dutch hospitals showed that the majority of patients with AAA did not meet therapeutic targets set for risk management in high risk populations, and indicated a more pronounced prevention gap in women. Application of the SMART risk score algorithm predicted that optimal implementation of risk management guidelines would reduce the 10 year risk of major adverse cardiovascular events from 43% to 14%. Independent of the rupture risk, AAA is associated with a worryingly compromised life expectancy with a particularly poor prognosis for women. Optimal implementation of cardiovascular risk prevention guidelines is predicted to profoundly reduce cardiovascular risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the impact of changes in elective Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) management on life-expectancy of AAA patients. Background: Over the past decades AAA repair underwent substantial changes, that is, the introduction of EVAR and implementation of intensified cardiovascular risk management. The question rises to what extent these changes improved longevity of AAA patients. Methods: National evaluation including all 12.907 (82.7% male) patients who underwent elective AAA repair between 2001 and 2015 in Sweden. The impact of changes in AAA management was established by a time-resolved analysis based on 3 timeframes: open repair dominated period (2001–2004, n = 2483), transition period (2005–2011, n = 6230), and EVAR-first strategy period (2012–2015, n = 4194). Relative survival was used to quantify AAA-associated mortality, and to adjust for changes in life-expectancy. Results: Relative survival of electively treated AAA patients was stable and persistently compromised [4-year relative survival and 95% confidence interval: 0.87 (0.85–0.89), 0.87 (0.86–0.88), 0.89 (0.86–0.91) for the 3 periods, respectively]. Particularly alarming is the severely compromised survival of female patients (4-year relative survival females 0.78, 0.80, 0.70 vs males 0.89, 0.89, 0.91, respectively). Cardiovascular mortality remained the main cause of death (51.0%, 47.2%, 47.9%) and the proportion cardiovascular disease over non-cardiovascular disease death was stable over time. Conclusions: Changes in elective AAA management reduced short-term mortality, but failed to improve the profound long-term survival disadvantage of AAA patients. The persistent high (cardiovascular) mortality calls for further intensification of cardiovascular risk management, and a critical appraisal of the basis for the excess mortality of AAA patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Failure to rescue (FTR) is a composite quality indicator, defined as the proportion of deceased patients following major complications. The aims of this study were to compare FTR with mortality for hospital comparisons in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) surgery in The Netherlands and investigate hospital volume and associated factors. Methods Patients prospectively registered between 2013 and 2015 in the Dutch Surgical Aneurysm Audit (DSAA) were analysed. FTR was analysed for AAA patients and subgroups elective (EAAA) and acute (AAAA; symptomatic or ruptured) aneurysms. Variables and hospital volume were analysed by uni- and multivariable regression analysis. Adjusted hospital comparisons for mortality, major complications, and FTR were presented in funnel plots. Isomortality lines were constructed when presenting FTR and major complication rates. Results A total of 9258 patients were analysed in 61 hospitals: 7149 EAAA patients (77.2%) and 2109 AAAA patients (22.8%). There were 2785 (30.1%) patients with complications (unadjusted range 5–65% per hospital): 2161 (77.6%) with major and 624 (28.4%) patients with minor complications. Overall mortality was 6.6% (adjusted range 0–16% per hospital) and FTR was 28.4% (n = 613) (adjusted range 0–60% per hospital). Glasgow Coma Scale, age, pulse, creatinine, electrocardiography, and operative setting were independently associated with FTR. Hospital volume was not associated with FTR. In AAAA patients hospital volume was significantly associated with a lower adjusted major complication and mortality rate (OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.49–0.78; and 0.64, 95% CI 0.48–0.87). Four hospitals had a significant lower adjusted FTR with different major complication rates on different isomortality lines. Conclusions There was more variation in FTR than in mortality between hospitals. FTR identified the same best performing hospitals as for mortality and therefore was of limited additional value in measuring quality of care for AAA surgery. FTR can be used for internal quality improvement with major complications in funnel plots and diagrams with isomortality lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: An abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a progressive, generally symptomless disease that could ultimately result in a fatal rupture. Current guidelines advise conservative follow-up, and preventive surgical repair once the risk of rupture outweighs the cost of repair (55 mm in men). In developed countries, the majority of patients are diagnosed with AAAs less than 55 mm, and so enter a period of conservative surveillance. An important question is how patients perceive and cope with risk of rupture, AAA diagnosis and treatment, and presented AAA information. The goal of this study was to gain insight into patients' perceptions of conservative treatment for a small AAA to increase patient satisfaction. Methods: We conducted semistructured in-depth interviews and used questionnaires measuring health-related quality of life (RAND 36-Item Health Survey 1.0), illness-perceptions (Illness Perception Questionnaire - Revised), and anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale). Interviews were audio recorded and transcript contents were analyzed based on grounded theory. Mean scores of the questionnaires were compared to (population) reference groups. Results: This study included ten male patients under surveillance for a small AAA from two hospitals in the Netherlands. Patients expressed no fear for AAA rupture, and also reported low levels of anxiety and depression in both the interviews and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. The presence of an AAA did not affect their social life or emotional wellbeing. The reported poorer physical health on RAND 36-Item Health Survey 1.0 presumably reflected common presence of comorbidities. Participants stated to that they were content with the frequency and setup of AAA surveillance. However, they generally lacked knowledge about AAA disease and/or treatment options. Conclusion: Conservative AAA follow-up ensures patients that the risks of AAA disease are limited. The vascular surgeon is the most important source of AAA information to patients, and patients fully rely on their vascular surgeon to take control in AAA treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To determine the effect of pulsatile motion of graft-attached pressure sensors on the accuracy of aneurysm sac pressure measurement, Methods: Pressure inside a pressure box was measured with a sensor attached to a stent graft (Sensorgraft) facing a sensor in fixed position (Sensorbox), Maximum inter-sensor variation of Sensorgraft and Sensorbox was determined in static experiments, Experiments with pulsatile circulation were performed with a compliant and a noncompliant stent=graft at 120/80 mmHg and 160/95 mmHg. Pressure measurements in the box were repeated after the box pressure was increased from 0 to 120 mmHg. Sensorgraft motion was measured by ultrasound. Measurements with Sensorgraft were compared to those with Sensorbox using Pearson correlation coefficients to determine the concordance between the sensors. Results: The maximum inter-sensor variation was 4 mmHg. increased box pressure induced progressive pulsetile graft and sensor motion during all experiments. During the experiments with the compliant graft at systemic pressures of 120/80 and 160/95 mmHg, the maximum inter-sensor variation was exceeded at box pressures of 65 and 75 mmHg, respectively. The sensor motion at these box pressures was 214±2.70 µm and 210±0.93 p.m, respectively. Measurements of Sensorgraft were higher than Sensorbox, up to 13 mmHg at a box pressure of 120 mmHg. The Pearson correlation coefficients during these experiments were 0.99 and 1.00 (p<0.001), respectively. In the experiments with the noncompliant graft, the maximum inter-sensor variation was not exceeded, and sensor motion was only 7±0.46 µm and 26±1.48 µm, respectively. The Pearson correlation coefficient during these experiments was 1.00 (p<0.001). Conclusion: Pulsatile sensor motion can influence the accuracy of pressure measurement. More compliant grafts are more susceptible to this phenomenon. Despite false high pressure measurements, stent-graft-attacbed pressure sensors seem appropriate to follow pressure trends in the aneurysm sac. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are indications for elevated CXCL8 levels in abdominal aortic aneurysm disease (AAA). CXCL8 is concurrently involved in neutrophil-mediated inflammation and angiogenesis, two prominent and distinctive characteristics of AAA. As such we considered an evaluation of a role for CXCL8 in AAA progression relevant. ELISA’s, real time PCR and array analysis were used to explore CXCL8 signaling in AAA wall samples. A role for CXCL8 in AAA disease was tested through the oral CXCR1/2 antagonist DF2156A in the elastase model of AAA disease. There is an extreme disparity in aortic wall CXCL8 content between AAA and aortic atherosclerotic disease (median [IQR] aortic wall CXCL8 content: 425 [141–1261] (AAA) vs. 23 [2.8–89] (atherosclerotic aorta) µg/g protein (P < 1 · 10 −14 )), and abundant expression of the CXCR1 and 2 receptors in AAA. Array analysis followed by pathway analysis showed that CXCL8 hyper-expression in AAA is followed increased by IL-8 signaling (Z-score for AAA vs. atherosclerotic control: 2.97, p < 0.0001). Interference with CXCL8 signaling through DF2156A fully abrogated AAA formation and prevented matrix degradation in the murine elastase model of AAA disease (p < 0.001). CXCL8-signaling is a prominent and distinctive feature of AAA, interference with the pathway constitutes a promising target for medical stabilization of AAA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims An abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is part of the atherosclerotic spectrum of diseases. The disease is hallmarked by a comprehensive localized inflammatory response with striking IL-6 hyperexpression. IL-6 is a multifaceted cytokine that, depending on the context, acts as a pro- or anti-inflammatory factor. In this study, we explore a putative role for IL-6 in AAA disease. Methods ELISA’s, Western blot analysis, real time PCR and array analysis were used to investigate IL-6 expression and signaling in aneurysm wall samples from patients undergoing elective AAA repair. A role for IL-6 in AAA disease was tested through IL-6 neutralization experiments (neutralizing antibody) in the elastase model of AAA disease. Results We confirmed an extreme disparity in aortic wall IL-6 content between AAA and atherosclerotic disease (median [5th–95th percentile] aortic wall IL-6 content: 281.6 [0.0–1820.8] (AAA) vs. 1.9 [0.0–37.8] μg/g protein (atherosclerotic aorta), ( p < 0.001). Array analysis followed by pathway analysis showed that IL-6 hyper-expression is followed by increased IL-6 signaling ( p < 0.000039), an observation confirmed by higher aneurysm wall pSTAT3 levels, and SOCS1 and SOCS3 mRNA expression, ( p < 0.018). Remarkably, preventive IL-6 neutralization i.e. treatment started one day prior to the elastase-induction resulted in >40% 7-day mortality due to aortic rupture. In contrast, delayed IL-6 neutralization (i.e. neutralization started at day 4 after elastase induction) did not result in ruptures, and quenched AAA growth ( p < 0.021). Conclusions AAA disease is characterized by increased IL-6 signaling. In the context of the elastase model of AAA disease, IL-6 appears a multi-faceted factor, protective upon acute injury, but negatively involved in the perpetuation of the disease process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]