Thoracic Endovascular Aneurysm Repair Trends and Outcomes in Over 27,000 Medicare Patients for Descending Thoracic Aneurysms.

Background: Since United States Food and Drug Administration approval in 2005, thoracic endovascular aneurysm repair (TEVAR) has replaced open surgery to become the preferred treatment for descending thoracic aneurysms (DTAs). This study investigated TEVAR trends during the previous 15 years regarding patient and hospital characteristics and their effect on survival.

Methods: Between 2000 and 2014, 27,079 Medicare patients underwent TEVAR for DTA. We analyzed TEVAR trends during this period and stratified hospitals based on the number of cases completed during the previous 5 years: low (0-19 cases), medium (20-99 cases), and high (≥100 cases) volume. Trends over time were calculated using Poisson regression to determine the average annual percentage changes (aAPC). Survival was calculated using a multivariate Cox regression and adjusted logistic regression with a restricted cubic spline.

Results: TEVAR volume significantly increased from 81 cases in 2000 to 3478 cases in 2014 (aAPC, 16.2%; P < .001). During the study period, the proportion of cases performed at medium-volume centers increased (aAPC, 5.2%; P < .001). Thirty-day mortality after TEVAR increased in the recent period (2013-2014) to 8.8% as compared with 6.6% in the early years (2004-2006) of TEVAR (P < .001), and a significant contribution was due to increased patient comorbidity score (aAPC, 1.6%; P < .001). Lastly, TEVAR center volume was significantly associated with 30-day survival when fewer than 33 cases were done in the prior 5 years.

Conclusions: From 2000 to 2014, TEVAR volume accelerated, and centers are gaining more experience. TEVAR patients have become more acute, and mortality has increased over this period. Patient selection and procedural experience are critical to improving outcomes.