Delayed repair for blunt thoracic aortic injury: is it really equivalent to early repair?
Blunt thoracic aortic injury (BTAI) is a severe injury that traditionally has mandated immediate surgical repair. Delaying operative intervention for BTAI can allow other life-threatening injuries to be managed first, but potentially increases the risk of aortic rupture and death. The objective of this study was to evaluate the outcome of delayed repair (DR) compared with early repair (ER) for BTAI and to assess the effectiveness of a protocol for medical control of systolic blood pressure and heart rate in those patients whose repairs were delayed
Article, 2004