Endovascular versus open repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms in the Medicare population.

Background: Randomized trials have shown reductions in perioperative mortality and morbidity with endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm, as compared with open surgical repair. Longer-term survival rates, however, were similar for the two procedures. There are currently no long-term, population-based data from the comparison of these strategies. Methods: We studied perioperative rates of death and complications, long-term survival, rupture, and reinterventions after open as compared with endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm in propensity-score–matched cohorts of Medicare beneficiaries undergoing repair during the 2001–2004 period, with follow-up until 2005. Results: There were 22,830 matched patients undergoing open repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm in each cohort. The average age of the patients was 76 years, and approximately 20% were women. Perioperative mortality was lower after endovascular repair than after open repair (1.2% vs. 4.8%, P