Journal «Angiology and Vascular Surgery» • 

2013 • VOLUME 19 • №1

Embolism of the aortic bifurcation and major arteries of limbs: lessons of the past and present-day trends in solving the problem concerned

Melnikov M.V., Barsukov A.E., Apresyan A.Yu., Isaulov O.V.

Chair of General Surgery, North-West State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov, St. Petersburg, Russia

The works deals with a retrospective analysis of the medical records of the Clinic of General Surgery of the North-West State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov on treatment of patients presenting with embo- lism of the aorta and major arteries over 40 years. All in all, over the period from 1971 to 2010 a total of 3,110 patients with embolism of the aorta and major arteries underwent consultations and were operated on. To the present-day trends in surgery of embologenic arterial obstruction one should first of all refer a decrease in the number of patients with embolism of the aorta and major arteries of the limbs, which may be related to achieve- ment in modern cardiology and cardiosurgery in treatment of patients with cardiovascular diseases – potential sources of arterial embolism. Besides, there occurred considerable changes in the structure of embologenic diseases, in favour of an increased number of people suffering from CAD, which to e certain degree modified the incidence of lesions of various vascular basins. Thus, the number of embolisms of proximal portions of the vascular bed decreased considerably. This is largely related to a decrease in the number of patients presenting with decompensated ischaemia of extremities. 86.9% of patients were subjected to emergency operations. An increased number of people with atherosclerosis of peripheral arteries required widening of indications for per- forming reconstructive-and-plastic operative interventions.

Experience of the Clinic shows that a timely performed revascularizing operation, including a reconstructive on, application of modern methods of prevention of ischaemic syndrome, carrying out comprehensive rehabili- tation measures in the postoperative period made it possible to considerably improve the immediate results of treatment. While during the first 20 years a total lethality rate amounted to 18.8% with the postoperative one equalling 17.1%, these parameters over the past 10 years were 8.8% and 6.9%, respectively.

KEY WORDS: embolism of the aorta and arteries, acute ischaemia of the limbs, acute arterial obstruction.

P. 157

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