The emergency use of endografts in the carotid circulation to control hemorrhage in potentially contaminated fields

We report our experience with the use of endoluminal grafts to control emergency bleeding in two patients with tracheoinnominate fistulas and three patients with carotid blowouts. Systemic infectious complications were not seen. However, rebleeding occurred in one patient, and extensive stent coverage to control bleeding was required in a second. Survival was usually limited by the patient's cancer. There was one long-term survivor without cancer whose tracheostomy was placed for neurologic compromise. A review of the literature for similar cases identified 18 additional endografts placed for carotid blowout and 3 placed for tracheoinnominate fistulas. Overall, infectious complications occurred in only two patients, whereas rebleeding occurred in eight patients. On the basis of these findings, we believe that endografts are useful to control emergency hemorrhage in these two pathologies because treatment is usually palliative, given the poor survival secondary to the underlying disease. However, more extensive graft coverage may be necessary considering the erosive nature of these processes.