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Background: We have employed a conservative management approach, including intensive control of both blood pressure and heart rate, in patients with aortic intramural hematoma (AIMH) and retrograde thrombosed type A acute aortic dissection (RT-TAAAD), sharing common clinical and imaging characteristics. Methods: To evaluate the outcomes of our conservative management approach, we retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of 98 patients diagnosed with AIMH or RT-TAAAD from January 2008 to March 2023. A conservative management approach was applied, except for those patients with an aortic diameter ≥ 55 mm, false lumen expansion, or cardiac tamponade, who underwent emergency aortic repair. Results: Besides 2 patients, who declined surgery and subsequently died from aortic rupture, 18 patients underwent urgent aortic surgery, while 78 did not. Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified the extrusion type of ulcer-like projections (ULPs) on admission and a maximum aortic diameter ≥ 45 mm on Day 1 as risk factors for acute aortic surgery. Among the 78 patients who were discharged, 9 (12%) underwent aortic surgery, while 69 (88%) did not, with a median follow-up of 44 months. The overall actuarial aortic surgery-free rates were 78% at 1 year and 72% at 5 years, respectively. A Cox proportional hazards analysis identified ULPs and an aortic diameter ≥ 45 mm at discharge as risk factors for late aortic surgery. Conclusions: The early and late outcomes of our conservative strategy for AIMH and RT-TAAAD demonstrate favorable surgery-free rates. The extrusion type of ULPs on admission and an aortic diameter ≥ 45 mm on Day 1 are predictors of acute aortic surgery, while ULPs and an aortic diameter ≥ 45 mm at discharge are predictors of late surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Type A acute aortic dissection (TAAAD) is a serious condition within the acute aortic syndromes that demands immediate treatment. Despite advancements in diagnostic and referral pathways, the survival rate post-surgery currently sits at almost 20%. Our objective was to pinpoint clinical indicators for mortality and morbidity, particularly raised arterial lactate as a key factor for negative outcomes. Methods: All patients referred to the three cardiovascular centres between January 2005 and December 2022 were included in the study. The inclusion criteria required the presence of a lesion involving the ascending aorta, symptoms within 7 days of surgery, and referral for primary surgical repair of TAAAD based on recommendations, with consideration for other concomitant major cardiac surgical procedures needed during TAAAD and retrograde extension of TAAAD. We conducted an analysis of both continuous and categorical variables and utilised predictive mean matching to fill in missing numeric features. For missing binary variables, we used logistic regression to impute values. We specifically targeted early postoperative mortality and employed LASSO regression to minimise potential collinearity of over-fitting variables and variables measured from the same patient. Results: A total of 633 patients were recruited for the study, out of which 449 patients had complete preoperative arterial lactate data. The average age of the patients was 64 years, and 304 patients were male (67.6%). The crude early postoperative mortality rate was 24.5% (110 out of 449 patients). The mortality rate did not show any significant difference when comparing conservative and extensive surgeries. However, malperfusion had a significant impact on mortality [48/131 (36.6%) vs. 62/318 (19.5%), p < 0.001]. Preoperative arterial lactates were significantly elevated in patients with malperfusion. The optimal prognostic threshold of arterial lactate for predicting early postoperative mortality in our cohort was ≥2.6 mmol/L. Conclusion: The arterial lactate concentration in patients referred for TAAAD is an independent factor for both operative mortality and postoperative complications. In addition to mortality, patients with an upper arterial lactate cut-off of ≥2.6 mmol/L face significant risks of VA ECMO and the need for dialysis within the first 48 h after surgery. To improve recognition and facilitate rapid transfer and surgical treatment protocol, more diligent efforts are required in the management of malperfusion in TAAAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Type A acute aortic dissection, an aggressive and highly fatal disease, is particularly common among pregnant women and foetuses. This disease often occurs during the third trimester of pregnancy and the postpartum period.This case involves a female who was 20 weeks pregnant with type A acute aortic dissection. While maintaining pregnancy, the patient underwent Bentall surgery and Sun’s procedure. The duration of circulatory arrest was a brief 4 min. The patient fully recovered 40 days after surgery and remained pregnant post-discharge. At the 38th gestational week, she delivered a healthy male infant via caesarean section.Gestational morbidity can have a serious impact on the safety of mothers and children. Currently, the shortest time reported for hypothermic circulatory arrest is 5 min. In this case, the lower body circulatory arrest was controlled to approximately 4 min during cardiopulmonary bypass while simultaneously safeguarding both individuals. Ideal strategies for cardiopulmonary bypass to reduce foetal risk include shorter cardiopulmonary bypass times, higher flow rates, and higher perfusion pressures. A reduction in the duration of hypothermic circulatory arrest further increases foetal survival rates.The development of a rational cardiopulmonary bypass plan should be tailored to the physiological characteristics of the pregnant woman to ensure the safety of both the pregnant woman and the foetus, reduce complications, and improve the success rate of the operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated whether supra-aortic vessel (SAV)s dissection is a risk factor for neurological dysfunction (ND) after surgical repair for type A acute aortic dissection (TAAAD). A retrospective review was done in 178 patients with TAAAD undergoing aortic repair between 2015 and 2019, comparing those with SAV dissection to those without it. Preoperatively, 93 patients (54.4%) had SAV dissection. Postoperatively, ND occurred in 26 patients (14.6%), 17 of whom (65.4%) already had been present with preoperative ND. Patients with SAV dissection were more likely to have postoperative ND than those without it (21.5% vs 7.7%; p = 0.02). The severity of preoperative dissection-related stenosis in common carotid artery significantly related to postoperative ND (right; p =0.0071, left; p < 0.0001). Multivariable analysis showed dissection-related stenosis of > 75% in brachiocepharic and left common carotid arteries, and thrombosed false lumen in common carotid arteries were independent risk factors for postoperative ND. However, SAV dissection was not related to new onset of ND. Dissection with stenosis of > 75% in SAVs were significantly decreased after aortic repair and even after ascending aorta/hemiarch replacement. In conclusion, ND after surgical repair for TAAAD is closely related to SAV dissection, especially to stenosis of > 75% and thrombosed false lumen in common carotid arteries. Aortic repair significantly decreased SAV dissection and severity of stenosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Type A acute aortic dissection (TAAAD) complicated with cerebral malperfusion (CM) is a life-threatening condition associated with high mortality, poor outcomes, and the optimal surgical management remains controversial. The aim of this review was to report the current results of surgical interventions of these patients.Methods: A systematic review was performed using PubMed and MEDLINE search for cases underwent surgical repair for TAAAD with CM. Demographics, neurological symptom, the time from onset of symptoms to operation, operation data, mortality, neurological outcome, and follow-up were reviewed.Results: A total of 363 patients with mean age of 65.7 ± 13 years underwent surgical repair for TAAAD with CM were identified in 12 retrospective studies. In-hospital mortality was 20.1%. Mean duration of follow-up was 40.1 ± 37.6 months. The involved supra-aortic branch vessels were RCCA (n = 99), LCCA (n = 25), B-CCA (n = 52), CCA (n = 131), IA (n = 19), and LSA (n = 8). Time from onset of neurological symptoms to surgery was 13.3 h. Antegrade and/or retrograde cerebral perfusion were applied. Postoperatively, improved, unchanged and worsened neurological status was occurred in 54.3%, 27.1%, and 8.5%, respectively in 199 patients.Conclusion: The outcomes of surgical treatment of TAAAD complicated with CM indicate acceptable early mortality and morbidity. It is reasonable to perform lifesaving surgery on these patients. Early central surgical repair and reperfusion of brain may improve the outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: Exercise is recommended to improve physical fitness in patients recovering from acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD). However, surgery corrects the diseased blood vessels and reduces the risk of ATAAD, but it does not redefine a safe exercise blood pressure (BP) threshold. This review aimed to discuss whether the safe threshold of exercise BP can be upregulated after ATAAD surgery to increase exercise intensity with additional benefits. (2) Data sources: The PubMed databases were searched with the keywords "type A acute aortic dissection surgery", "exercise", "BP", "stress", and variations of these terms. (3) Study selection: Data from clinical trials, guidelines, and recent reviews were selected for review. (4) Results: Regular exercise can be considered a cardioprotective intervention for aortic dissection patients by attenuating hemodynamic responses at rest and during exercise. Previous studies have mainly focused on moderate-intensity aerobic exercise. In practice, the exercise systolic BP of some patients was higher than 160 mm Hg without adverse events, which indicates that the training intensity may be underestimated for patients after ATAAD surgery. Limited studies suggest a light-to-moderate resistance training for selected patients because it may cause a greater increase in BP. (5) Conclusions: Moderate-intensity continuous aerobic exercise supplemented by low-intensity resistance training is appropriate for cardiac rehabilitation after ATAAD surgery. The BP increase based on the normal exercise BP response, corresponding to the moderate-intensity is relatively safe. For high-risk post-ATAAD patients, considering the overall volume of training, personalizing the exercise regimen to remain within "safe" BP limits, and avoiding excessive fluctuations in BP should be the primary considerations for exercise training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Surgically treated acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) patients are often restricted from physical exercise due to a lack of knowledge about safe blood pressure (BP) ranges. The aim of this study was to describe the evolution of early postoperative cardiac rehabilitation (CR) for patients with ATAAD. Methods: This is a retrospective study of 73 patients with ATAAD who were referred to the CR department after surgery. An incremental symptom-limited exercise stress test (ExT) on a cyclo-ergometer was performed before and after CR, which included continuous training and segmental muscle strengthening (five sessions/week). Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) were monitored before and after all exercise sessions. Results: The patients (78.1% male; 62.2 ± 12.7 years old; 54.8% hypertensive) started CR 26.2 ± 17.3 days after surgery. During 30.4 ±11.6 days, they underwent 14.5 ± 4.7 sessions of endurance cycling training, and 11.8 ± 4.3 sessions of segmental muscle strengthening. At the end of CR, the gain of workload during endurance training and functional capacity during ExT were 19.6 ± 10.2 watts and 1.2 ± 0.6 METs, respectively. The maximal BP reached during endurance training was 143 ± 14/88 ± 14 mmHg. The heart rate (HR) reserve improved from 20.2 ± 13.9 bpm to 33.2 ± 16.8 bpm while the resting HR decreased from 86.1 ± 17.4 bpm to 76.4 ± 13.3 bpm. Conclusion: Early post-operative exercise-based CR is feasible and safe in patients with surgically treated ATAAD. The CR effect is remarkable, but it requires a close BP monitoring and supervision by a cardiologist and physical therapist during training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Females usually have a higher risk in cardiac surgery than males. Type A acute aortic dissection can occur in both males and females, but there are not enough studies about gender difference in clinical features and surgical outcome. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical data and surgical outcome difference between males and females with type A acute aortic dissection. Patients and Methods: This was a comparative retrospective study that took place between January 2014 and May 2021, in 7 centres in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. We had 427 patients presented to us and were operated for type A acute ascending aortic dissection, of them 291 (68.15%) were males and 136 (31.85%) were females where group 1 consisted of males, while group 2 included the female patients. We compared their clinical features, in hospital course and outcome and follow up in the first six-month post-surgery. Results: There was no statistically significant difference between both groups regarding operative data. There were statistically significant longer duration of mechanical ventilation > 48 h (27.94% vs 6.19%, P < 0.001), intensive care unit (ICU) was 8.1 ± 4.2 vs 2.7 ± 1.15 (P < 0.001), hospital stay was 17.2 ± 8.1% vs 12.6 ± 4.8 (P < 0.001) and reoperation for bleeding was 7.35% vs 1.37% (P < 0.001) in females more than males. Also hospital mortality was statistically significant higher in females than in males (5.88% vs 1.03%, P < 0.001). Regarding other post-operative morbidities and six months follow up, there were no statistically significant difference between both groups. Conclusions: Type A aortic dissection occurred more frequently in males than females. Females presented to us were older, had more comorbidities and mortality than males and the surgical outcomes was better in males than in females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the effects of seasonal and climatic changes on postoperative in-hospital mortality and length of stay (LOS) in patients with type A acute aortic dissection (AAD).Methods: Patients undergoing implantation of the modified triple-branched stent graft to replace the descending aorta in addition to aortic root reconstruction for type A AAD in our hospital from January 2016 to December 2019 were included. Relevant data were retrospectively collected and analyzed.Results: A total of 404 patients were included in our analyses. The multivariate unconditional logistic regression analysis showed that patients admitted in autumn (OR 4.027, 95% CI 1.023-17.301, P = 0.039) or with coronary heart disease (OR 8.938, 95% CI 1.991-29.560, P = 0.049) were independently associated with an increased risk of postoperative in-hospital mortality. Furthermore, patients admitted in autumn (OR 5.956, 95% CI 2.719-7.921, P = 0.041) or with hypertension (OR 3.486, 95% CI 1.192-5.106, P = 0.035) were independently associated with an increased risk of longer LOS.Conclusion: Patients admitted in autumn or with coronary heart disease are at higher risk of in-hospital mortality following surgery for type A AAD. Also, patients admitted in autumn or with hypertension have a longer hospital LOS. In the autumn of the temperature transition, we may need to strengthen the management of medical quality after surgery for type A AAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Acute aortic dissection (AAD) is a life-threatening condition which can lead to coronary, brachiocephalic or branch vessel malperfusion, as well as aortic valve insufficiency, or aortic rupture. Mortality of surgical treatment in high-risk or elderly patients with Type A AAD (TAAAD) still remains high, and treatment for such patients remains controversial. We report a successful treatment of TAAAD with a communicating false lumen in a 60-year-old man with acute hemi-cerebral malperfusion.Case Presentation: The ascending aorta was wrapped with stepwise external wrapping (SEW) procedure, and subsequent thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) was successfully performed. The patient was discharged in good physical condition without any complications.Conclusions: Hybrid therapy with SEW and TEVAR with TAAAD associated with major cerebral malperfusion should be considered, especially in patients for whom open surgery is extremely risky. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Acute type A aortic dissection (AAAD) is a life-threatening condition. The emergency operation usually results in 20% perioperative mortality. If preoperative cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is necessary, there is an increase in the rate of mortality. The aim of the present study was to report the outcomes of AAAD surgery in patients requiring preoperative CPR in a high-volume center.Methods: A retrospective analysis of preoperative, intraoperative, postoperative, and follow-up data in patients requiring preoperative CPR in the setting of AAAD surgery was performed.Results: Between January 2006 and December 2018, 637 patients underwent emergency surgery for AAAD. In total, 26 (4%) patients received CPR; the mean age was 63 ± 13 years; and 18 were male (69%). The reason for CPR was acute tamponade (N = 14, 54%), pulseless electrical activity (N = 5, 19%), asystole or ventricular fibrillation (N = 7, 27%), and four (15%) patients were not operated due to prolonged CPR and severe initial neurological impairment. There was no intraoperative mortality. The in-hospital mortality rate was 50% (N = 11), due to severe cerebral damage confirmed by computed tomography, and six patients (55%) were older than 70 years. The median follow-up was 35 months (7-149), which was 100% complete; two patients had permanent hemiplegia, one had anterior spinal syndrome, and other two died during the follow-up. The overall survival rate was 41% (n = 9).Conclusion: Surgery outcomes were still reasonable in AAAD patients requiring preoperative CPR in a high-volume center. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Acute aortic dissection (AAD) is a rare, but a life-threatening condition which can lead to coronary, brachiocephalic or branch vessel malperfusion, as well as aortic valve insufficiency, or aortic rupture. Mortality of surgical treatment in high-risk or elderly patients with Type A Acute aortic dissection (TAAAD) still remains high, and treatment for such patients remains controversial.Case Presentation: A new surgical approach which entails "stepwise external wrapping (SEW)" using a zero-porosity artificial graft was developed in extremely high-risk patients with TAAAD. Herein, we described its surgical details and showed two representative cases which was successfully done.Conclusions: Our SEW procedure is a feasible alternative to conventional graft replacement for TAAAD in extremely high-risk or aged patients, although the gold standard consists of surgical replacement of the dissected aorta. (129 words). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although many studies have reported the advantages and disadvantages between subclavian and femoral and cannulation, however most of these studies reported results for all patients underwent deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA) with ascending and aortic arch surgery with different pathologies. Objective: In our study we compared femoral and subclavian artery cannulation and reported the results only for the ascending aorta with acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD). Patients and Methods: From January 2017 to January 2018 in Cairo University Hospitals, we selected 100 patients presented with acute type A aortic dissection and underwent reconstruction of only the ascending aorta. Patients were divided into two groups, Group (A): includes patients with subclavian artery cannulation to establish cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and Group (B): includes patients with femoral artery cannulation to establish CPB. Early postoperative results during hospital stay and mortality were reported and compared between the groups. Results: The preoperative data in both groups showed no statistical difference in both groups, in postoperative data only Subclavian cannulation had a better cerebral protection and lower hospital stay than femoral cannulation (2 vs 8%, p = 0.04) while other postoperative data as well as mortality showed no statistical differences in both groups. Conclusions: From results of our study we concluded that subclavian cannulation is better than femoral cannulation in repair of type A aortic dissection as it has better cerebral protection and lower postoperative hospital stay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Type A acute aortic dissection (TAAAD) sometimes presents with acute stroke-like symptoms. When intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV-tPA) therapy is considered for acute ischemic stroke, TAAAD must be excluded. Painless TAAAD presenting with acute stroke may be easily missed. Two cases of painless TAAAD presenting with acute stroke in which IV-tPA therapy was considered are reported. In these cases, cervical magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) was useful for detecting TAAAD, and IV-tPA therapy was canceled. The mottled high signal (“snowstorm”) in the common carotid artery on cervical MRA is specific for TAAAD. We have thus named this phenomenon the “ snowstorm sign ” and believe it can help diagnose TAAAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective - Acute aortic dissection (AAD) is the most frequent and catastrophic manifestation of the so-called acute aortic syndrome (along with intramural hematoma, penetrating aortic ulcer, and ruptured thoracic aortic aneurysm)3. Th e objective of this study was evaluating the cases of acute type A aortic dissection treated in "Prof. Dr. C.C. Iliescu" Emergency Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases over the last nine years, creating a more comprehensive image of this pathology. Material and method - 290 patients (174 male, 116 female, mean age: 55.88±12.13 years) were admitted for acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) in our Institute between January 2005 and May 2013, in all cases transesophageal echocardiography being performed for diagnostic confirmation. The main demographic, clinical and perioperative characteristics of these patients were followed and the identification of several factors capable of increasing morbidity and mortality rates associated with acute type A aortic dissection was attempted. Results - The distribution of cases was uniform over time, with a slight decrease of 30-day mortality (p=0.985) and intraoperative mortality rates (p=0.119). Mean age was 55.88±12.13 years and men were more oft en affected than women (3:2 gender rate). Ascending aorta replacement was the operation performed with the highest frequency (29.71%) and the lowest mortality rate (16.05%) while the highest one associated with ascending, arch and descending aorta replacement (83.3%). 29.10% patients were extubated in the first postoperative day. The most frequent complications were: acute renal failure (61.62%), low ejection fraction ⩽30% (57.20%), multiple system organ failure (MSOF) (39.48%), neurologic dysfunction (23.62%). Prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) time (over 400 minutes, p=0.001) as well as replacement of the descending aorta (p=0.023) or the aortic arch (p=0.009) associated mortality rates of 80% and 50%, respectively. Conclusion - Type A acute aortic dissection is a frequent pathology in the cardiovascular surgical area. Moreover, it can prove to be a surgical challenge, with increased morbidity and mortality, but in experienced centers the results are more than satisfying. In our experience prolonged CPB time (over 400 minutes) as well as aortic arch and descending aorta replacement significantly increased the. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a minimum distance classification and forward feature selection technique are joined to determine the relationship between weather conditions and the increase of the risk of type A acute aortic dissection (AAD) events in Berlin. The results demonstrate that changes in the amount of cloudiness and air temperature are the most representative weather predictors among the studied parameters. A discrimination surface was developed for the prediction of AAD events 6 h ahead, and it is found that, under a specific amount of cloudiness and air temperature, the risk of AAD events in Berlin increases about 20 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]