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Article
Midterm outcomes in patients undergoing endovascular repair of thoracic aortic aneurysms and penetrating atherosclerotic ulcers using the RelayPlus stent graft
Journal of vascular surgery
  • Mahmoud Malas, Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore, Md; Division of Vascular Surgery, University of California San Diego, San Diego, Calif. Electronic address: mmalas@ucsd.edu.
  • Satinderjit Locham, Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore, Md; Division of Vascular Surgery, University of California San Diego, San Diego, Calif.
  • Chad Hughes, Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC.
  • Michael Bacharach, Division of Vascular Medicine and Peripheral Vascular Intervention, Avera Heart Hospital, Sioux Falls, SDak.
  • Derek Brinster, Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, NY.
  • James McKinsey, Division of Vascular Surgery, Mount Sinai West, New York, NY.
  • Krishna Mannava, Division of Vascular Surgery, Fairfield Medical Center, Lancaster, Ohio.
  • James Wu, Division of Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ.
  • Saum Rahimi, Division of Vascular Surgery, Lehigh Valley Health Network, Bethlehem, Pa.
  • Melham Sharafuddin, Division of Vascular Surgery, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-1-2021
E-ISSN
1097-6809
Keywords
  • Bolton RelayPlus,
  • Penetrating atherosclerotic ulcers,
  • Terumo,
  • Thoracic aortic aneurysm,
  • Thoracic endovascular repair
Abstract

BACKGROUND: The Relay Thoracic Stent-Graft with Plus Delivery System (RelayPlus; Terumo Aortic, Sunrise, Fla) was designed to handle the curvature and tortuosity of the thoracic aorta. It was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2012; the postapproval study was stopped early because of adequate safety and efficacy data, and no difference was identified in experienced vs first-time users of RelayPlus. The purpose of this study was to report real-world outcomes of patients with thoracic aortic aneurysms and penetrating atherosclerotic ulcers (PAUs) undergoing thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) with RelayPlus. METHODS: This is a prospective, multicenter, nonrandomized postapproval study that required the use of novice implanters in the United States. Primary and secondary end points included device-related adverse events (deployment failure, conversion to open repair, endoleaks, migration, rupture, and mortality) and major adverse events (stroke, paraplegia/paraparesis, renal failure, respiratory failure, and myocardial infarction), respectively. Continuous and categorical covariates were reported in means or medians and percentages, respectively. Kaplan-Meier survival estimates were used to report long-term TEVAR-related mortality, all-cause mortality, and reinterventions at 3 years. RESULTS: A total of 45 patients with mean age (standard deviation [SD]) of 73.5 (±7.20) years were treated for descending thoracic fusiform aneurysm (56%) or saccular aneurysm/PAU (44%). The patients were predominantly white (80.0%) and male (68.9%). Mean (SD) proximal neck, distal neck, and lesion lengths were 38.2 (±37) mm, 42.1 (±28) mm, and 103.8 (±74) mm, respectively. Mean (SD) aneurysm, proximal neck, and distal neck diameters were 53.9 (±13) mm, 31.3 (±4) mm, and 31.7 (±6) mm, respectively. Technical success was 100%. TEVAR-related mortality at 30 days was 4.4%; two patients died postoperatively, one of shock and the second of bilateral hemispheric stroke. No patient in the study had any conversion to open repair or post-TEVAR rupture. Two patients experienced three major adverse events, which included stroke (2.2%), paraplegia (2.2%), and respiratory failure (2.2%) at 30 days. Three-year freedom from TEVAR-related mortality, all-cause mortality, and reinterventions was 95.6%, 84.0%, and 97.2%, respectively. There were two type I endoleaks at 3 years: one type IB associated with no migration or aneurysm sac increase and one type IA associated with caudal migration of proximal neck and expansion of the proximal aorta. CONCLUSIONS: The RelayPlus postapproval study reported low operative mortality and morbidity and supported use of the device as a safe and effective thoracic aortic aneurysm and PAU endovascular treatment. Early midterm follow-up showed sustained freedom from TEVAR-related mortality in real-world practice. Follow-up continues to evaluate the durability of this endograft.

DOI
10.1016/j.jvs.2020.05.059
PubMed ID
32565108
Citation Information
Malas, M., Locham, S., Hughes, C., Bacharach, M., Brinster, D., McKinsey, J., Mannava, K., Wu, J., Rahimi, S., & Sharafuddin, M. (2021). Midterm outcomes in patients undergoing endovascular repair of thoracic aortic aneurysms and penetrating atherosclerotic ulcers using the RelayPlus stent graft. Journal of vascular surgery, 73(2), 459–465. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvs.2020.05.059