No death following ETS has ever been reported in the literature, but nine anecdotal fatalities are known, five resulting from major intrathoracic bleeding and three from anaesthetic mishap. Significant intrathoracic bleeding may occur in up to 5 per cent of patients but only a minority require thoracotomy; pneumothorax occurs in 2 per cent of patients and two instances of brain damage are known. In the longer term compensatory hyperhidrosis is extremely common and 1-2 per cent of patients regret having had surgery because of its severity. Horner's syndrome, on the other hand, is rare. Improvements in instrumentation, adequate training and careful patient selection may help reduce the drawbacks of ETS.

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We present the first case of a posttraumatic pseudoaneurysm of the axillary artery successfully treated with a stentgraft.A 89-year-old woman with a conservatively treated subcapital humeral fracture developed a pseudoaneurysm of the left axillary artery which was percutaneously successfully treated with a stentgraft. Endovascular repair of a traumatic axillary artery pseudoaneurysm should be considered especially in unfit patients.

Aortic stent graft infection is a rare but serious complication associated with high mortality. This report emphasizes the need for continued awareness of potential graft-related septic complications in patients undergoing Endovascular Aortic Repair (EVAR). We report a case in which a post-EVAR patient became unwell about 30 days post operatively and was shown on CT scanning to have a psoas abscess. The abscess was managed with percutaneous drainage and antibiotics. The patient remains well with no evidence of psoas collection or perigraft infection one year on. We review the available literature and discuss the merits of different management strategies.

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