Abstract
Background: The clinical characteristics, management, and outcomes of patients who had intraoperative aortic dissection (IAD) have not been thoroughly investigated. This study compared early and late clinical outcomes in patients with IAD vs spontaneous (non-IAD) acute type A aortic dissection. Methods: Between January 1, 2000, and July 1, 2008, 251 patients from 4 academic medical centers underwent repair of acute type A aortic dissection; of those, 11 had IAD. The mean age was 72 ± 9 years for patients experiencing IAD and 59 ± 13 years for those with non-IAD (p = 0.001). Patients with IAD were more likely to have coronary artery disease (p = 0.003) and a history of arrhythmia (p = 0.038). Rates for major morbidity, operative mortality, and 5-year actuarial survival were compared between groups. Results: Operative mortality was not adversely influenced by IAD (27% IAD vs 17% non-IAD, p = 0.42). There were no differences in the rates of reoperation for bleeding (10% IAD vs 20% non-IAD, p = 0.69), stroke (18% IAD vs 18% non-IAD, p ≥ 0.99), or acute renal failure (9% IAD vs 22% non-IAD, p = 0.47) between the two groups. Actuarial 5-year survival was 64% for IAD patients vs 73% for non-IAD patients (p = 0.33). Conclusions: IAD does not adversely influence early outcomes and actuarial 5-year survival of patients with type A dissection. © 2013 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.