LAUSR

OBJECTIVE Blunt abdominal aortic injury in pediatrics is a rare clinical entity with which most vascular surgeons have minimal experience. Evidence for management recommendations is limited. Herein we report a single institution's experience in the care of pediatric abdominal aortic injuries. METHODS This is a retrospective review of consecutive pediatric patients diagnosed with blunt traumatic abdominal aortic injury at our institution between 2008 and 2019. RESULTS Sixteen pediatric patients (50% male) were identified, ranging in age between 4-17 years. All were involved in motor vehicle collisions and were restrained passengers with a seatbelt sign. Five patients (31%) were hypotensive en route or upon arrival. Seven patients (44%) were transferred from another hospital. The median Injury Severity Score (ISS) was 34 (Interquartile range, IQR 19-35). The infrarenal aortic injuries were stratified according to the aortic injury grading classification: n=5/2/7/2 (grades 1-4, respectively). Concurrent non-aortic injuries included solid organ (63%, n=10), hollow viscus (88%, n=14), brain (25%, n=4), hemo/pneumothorax (25%, n=4), spine fractures (81%, n=13), and non-spine fractures (75%, n=12). In total, 56% of patients (n=9/16) required aortic repair: three needed immediate revascularization for distal ischemia. The remaining six patients (38%) underwent a delayed repair with a median time to repair of 52 days (range 2-916 days). Half of delayed repairs occurred during the index hospitalization. On repeat axial imaging, the three delayed-repair patients were found to have enlarging pseudoaneurysms or flow-limiting dissections and subsequently underwent repair during index hospitalization. Only one patient underwent endovascular repair. No deaths occurred, and the median follow-up length was 7 months (IQR 3-28 months) in this study population. All postoperative patients demonstrated stable imaging without requiring further intervention. Seven patients, whose injury grades ranged between 1 and 3, were observed. Their repeat imaging demonstrated either stability or resolution of their aortic injury. Remarkably, half of patients were lost to follow up after discharge or following their first postoperative clinic visit. CONCLUSIONS Delayed aortic intervention can be safely performed in the majority of pediatric patients with blunt abdominal aortic injuries with preserved distal perfusion to the lower extremities. This suggests that transfer to a tertiary center with vascular expertise is a safe and feasible management strategy. However, progression of aortic injuries was seen as early as within 48 hours and as late as 30 months post injury, underscoring the importance of long-term surveillance. Unfortunately, in this cohort, 50% of the children were lost to follow up, highlighting the need for a more structured surveillance strategy.