[Guide recommendations for diagnosis and treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm]

Manejo del aneurisma roto de aorta abdominal: un reto para el cirujano general

Introducción. El aneurisma aórtico abdominal roto, tiene una mortalidad del 80 % al 90 %. Para su reparación existe una técnica abierta y otra endovascular, las cuales tienen diferencias entre sus beneficios y complicaciones. El método de elección en la actualidad para la corrección de esta alteración anatómica es endovascular, sin embargo, no es el más usado, porque no se cuenta todo el tiempo con el equipo humano de cirugía vascular para su realización. Caso clínico. Ingresa a urgencias un paciente en estado de shock de origen desconocido, con dolor abdominal de 24 horas de evolución. Se realiza una tomografía con contraste que demuestra un aneurisma aórtico abdominal infrarrenal roto. Debido a que no se contaba con el equipo de cirugía vascular, es llevado de urgencia a una corrección abierta que duró 153 minutos, con un sangrado intraoperatorio de 1754 cc. Fue dado de alta a los 12 días postoperatorios sin ninguna complicación. Discusión. La reparación endovascular del aneurisma aórtico abdominal roto es la mejor elección, ya que muestra mayores beneficios en comparación con la reparación abierta, sin embargo, no es el más utilizado, porque se necesita de un personal bien entrenado en cirugía endovascular, por lo que, dentro de la formación de los cirujanos generales, se tiene que incluir el aprendizaje de las técnicas abiertas.

Direct health costs and clinical outcomes of open surgery in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm in Spain. The RECAPTA study

OBJECTIVE

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a chronic, progressive disease that often requires surgical repair. This study aimed to assess the healthcare costs and clinical outcomes of open AAA repair in Spain.

METHOD

Observational, retrospective, multicenter study with a one-year follow-up. Healthcare resource use and costs related to the surgical procedure, hospital stay, and follow-up period were assessed.

RESULTS

Ninety patients with asymptomatic AAA who underwent open repair were recruited between 2003 and 2009 at three Spanish hospitals. Four patients (4.44%) died in the first 30 postoperative days. Mean [standard deviation] procedure time was 292.83 [72.10] minutes and mean hospital length of stay was 11.44 days [5.42]. Thirty two patients (35.56%) presented in-hospital complications and three patients (3.45%) underwent re-intervention during follow-up. The mean overall cost per patient during the study period was €21,622.59, of which 42.40% (€9,168.19), 52.08% (€11,261.74), and 5.52% (€1,192.66) corresponded to the surgical procedure, the inpatient stay, and the study follow-up period, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Given the economic burden imposed by the treatment of patients admitted with AAA on the Spanish health system, additional efforts comparing the cost of open repair with endovascular treatments are needed to ensure greater efficiency.

Positioning document on incorporating point-of-care ultrasound in Internal Medicine departments

This positioning document describes the most important aspects of clinical ultrasonography in the internal medicine setting, from its fundamental indications to the recommended training period. There is no question as to the considerable usefulness of this tool in the standard clinical practice of internists in numerous clinical scenarios and settings (emergencies, hospital ward, general and specific consultations and home care). Ultrasonography has a relevant impact on the practitioner's ability to resolve issues, increasing diagnostic reliability and safety and providing important information on the prognosis and progression. In recent years, ultrasonography has been incorporated as a tool in undergraduate teaching, with excellent results. The use of ultrasonography needs to be widespread. To accomplish this, we must encourage structured training and the acquisition of equipment. This document was developed by the Clinical Ultrasonography Workgroup and endorsed by the Spanish Society of Internal Medicine.