Post-traumatic Injury of the Brachiocephalic Artery: On-pump Beating Heart Repair

Covered Endovascular Repair of Innominate Artery Bifurcation After Thoracic Blunt Trauma

Innominate artery (IA) injury is a rare entity with most patients dying before reaching the hospital. While open surgery remains the standard treatment, the endovascular approach is attractive as it may reduce perioperative morbidity and mortality. We report a case of IA blunt injury extending to the subclavian artery with pseudoaneurysm formation successfully treated with covered stenting of IA and its bifurcation. A 49-year-old male was admitted after suffering multiple trauma due to a high energy impact motorcycle crash. In the emergency room, the patient was hypotensive with a Glasgow coma score of 15. On physical examination, he had right peri-orbital ecchymosis, left otorrhagia and an open patella fracture. The computed tomographic angiography (CTA) revealed enlargement of the mediastinum and a 29 mm pseudoaneurysm involving the right brachiocephalic trunk and its bifurcation. Under general anesthesia, a covered balloon-expandable stent (CBES) was then placed in the IA followed by kissing stent of its bifurcation with an additional 2 covered balloon-expandable stents. Final subtraction angiography demonstrated complete pseudoaneurysm exclusion and stent patency without additional complications. No neurologic deficits or other intervention-related complications were found in the postoperative period. At 10 months follow-up, the patient remained asymptomatic and with palpable distal pulses. Endovascular management of IA injury may provide a good alternative to open surgery with low perioperative morbidity and mortality.

Blunt Injury of the Innominate Artery: What Surprises to Expect? A Case Report

Injuries of the supra-aortic trunk after blunt chest trauma are rare. This is a case report of a blunt traumatic lesion of the innominate artery (IA) origin that exhibited aortic arch involvement with a focus on imaging and treatment. A 41-year-old fisherman presented an IA injury secondary to a high-impact blunt chest trauma. Upon physical examination, vital signs were stable and upper extremity pulses were present. In addition to several bone fractures (costal ribs, clavicle, scapula, temporal, maxillary, and sphenoid), computed tomography angiography revealed dissection/pseudoaneurysm of the IA sparing the bifurcation. The patient underwent emergent angiography, which confirmed that the IA dissection was not ruptured, but it was unclear whether there was a pseudoaneurysm at the origin of the IA or aortic arch involvement. The patient was considered for open surgery. An ascending aorta-to-IA bypass was achieved by the off-pump beating heart approach. The IA stump was carefully observed, but oversewing was not possible due to the extension of the intimal-medial lesions into the artic arch. An on-pump intervention was then required for aortic angioplasty with a pericardial patch that was reinforced by Gel Seal. The postoperative course was uneventful. The patient was discharged without any complications. Conventional surgery provides good results and should remain in the armamentarium for the treatment of traumatic lesions at the IA origin, particularly if aortic arch involvement cannot be ruled out, to ensure a truly patient-tailored approach.