EVAR IN OUT CLINIC PATIENTS: IS IT FEASIBLE AND SAFE?

Introduction Only little is known about endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) performed as an outpatient procedure. We report here a two-center (Middelares Hospital, Antwerp (Deurne), Belgium and University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland) experience in 104 EVAR patients of which a group of 52 patients have been treated on an outpatient (out-EVAR) basis and compared to a matched group of 52 patients that have been treated as inpatients (in-EVAR). Methods Selection criterions for out-EVAR were: informed consent, travel time to the hospital if readmission was required of <30-60 minutes, and technically uncomplicated EVAR. Most out-EVAR has been treated percutaneous. In-EVAR patients consisted in a matched population treated during the same time period.Results 80% (52/65) of the patients considered appropriate for out-EVAR accepted to be treated ambulatory. EVAR was successful in all but one in-EVAR patient requiring conversion to open AAA repair. There was no 30-day mortality in both groups. All patients left the hospital within 12 hours after admission, but two out-EVAR patients (4%) that had to stay over the night due to percutaneous access problems. There was no outcome difference between both centers. Conclusions This two-center experience shows that outpatient EVAR, can be a safe alternative to inpatient EVAR, which further support the superiority of EVAR over open AAA repair.