Endovascular stent for iatrogenic penetrating injury of the thoracic aorta

Purpose: This is a report of the endovascular management of an iatrogenic descending thoracic aortic injury with long-term follow-up. Case Report: A 74-year-old medically complex female underwent the inadvertent percutaneous placement of a 6F sheath directly into the descending thoracic aorta during an attempted pericardiocentesis at an outside hospital. Upon transfer, the patient underwent endovascular placement of a thoracic stent graft to cover the entry site and recovered without incidence. The patient has remained free of complications for nearly 8 years of follow-up care. Conclusions: Endovascular stent graft utilization of the thoracic aorta has increased the treatment scope for the management of emergent and elective aortic pathology. This is particularly useful in clinical scenarios deemed too high an open surgical risk secondary to significant comorbidities.