Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta (REBOA) for Use in Temporizing Intra-Abdominal and Pelvic Hemorrhage: Physiologic Sequelae and Considerations.

REBOA has been used for several years by acute care surgeons for temporization of intra-abdominal, pelvic, and junctional hemorrhage. The physiology and consequences of aortic occlusion in these patients are largely unstudied.

[The Einstein sign]. / Einsteinovo znamení.

Untreated rupture of an aneurysm of the abdominal aorta is fatal in almost 100% of the patients. In the majority of cases the assessment of a correct, early diagnosis is simple (hypotension, backache, abdominal pain, pulsating resistance in the abdomen) and makes a prompt surgical or endovascular operation possible. In some instances however rupture of aneurysms of the abdominal aorta simulates other clinical conditions (acute cholecystitis, acute diverculitis of the sigmoid) which may delay the correct diagnosis and reduce the patient's chance of survival. The author describes, based on historical documents, the treacherous course of the disease in the scientific genius Albert Einstein where rupture of an aneurysm simulated acute cholecystitis, and in the world literature this symptomatology was subsequently described as Einstein's sign.

[Aneurysms from the viewpoint of medical history]. / Das Aneurysma aus medizinhistorischer Sicht.

The history of arterial aneurysms dates back to the old Egypts, Byzantines and Greeks. Vesal 1557 and Harvey 1628 introduced the disease into modern medicine. They diagnosed a pulsating tumor intra vitam and confirmed the aneurysm at autopsy. Further corner stones during the 18th and beginning of the 19th century were the monographs of Lancisi and Scarpa, the latter beautifully illustrated. The first effectful therapy was external compression, the second ligature of the artery proximal to the aneurysm, which was pioneered by John Hunter in 1785. Endoaneurysmoraphy (Matas) and wrapping by cellophane were performed, before diagnostic ultrasound and bypass surgery became routine procedures and improved dramatically the survival of the patients. The diagnostic and therapeutic problems in the middle of the 20th century are illustrated by the fate of two prominent patients, Albert Einstein and Thomas Mann, who died both of a ruptured aneurysm in 1955.

The history of surgery of the thoracic aorta.

Until the late 19th century, treatment of thoracic aortic aneurysms relied on ligation of the parent vessel or introduction of foreign materials to promote coagulation or fibrosis. A major breakthrough occurred in 1888, when Rudolph Matas reported an internal repair technique known as endoaneurysmorrhaphy. In this approach, the clot was excised from the aneurysmal sac, and the orifices of the arteries that entered the sac were sutured from within, reestablishing continuous blood flow. At the beginning of the 20th century, Alexis Carrel and Charles Guthrie began to lay the foundation for modern vascular anastomotic techniques. Although isolated successes were reported, optimal treatment of thoracic aortic disease awaited the development of reliable synthetic grafts in the 1950s and 1960s. During the past 15 years, the treatment goal has reverted to endoaneurysmorrhaphy, involving the use of a suitable graft to restore aortic continuity.

The management of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms in rural Colorado. With a historical note on Kit Carson's death.

Kit Carson died of a ruptured aneurysm in rural Colorado in 1868. Since that time, techniques for management of aortic aneurysms have been developed and disseminated to rural areas with small hospitals. A survey of six Colorado rural hospitals' experience with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms is presented. Fifty-seven ruptured aneurysms had been managed during periods ranging from three to ten years. The average time to the operating room was 3.5 to 4.0 hours after hospital arrival and less than 45 minutes after diagnosis. Of those cases arriving with a systolic blood pressure less than 100 mm Hg, the mortality was 56%. The overall mortality was 53%. Groups are analyzed according to preoperative delay, occurrence of shock, and other risk factors. The results are compared with several series from metropolitan hospitals. Techniques of management that are of potential benefit in low-volume vascular case settings are discussed.