Patients
We retrospectively reviewed 103 consecutive patients who were admitted
to the emergency ward of Yokosuka General Hospital Uwamachi from January
2009 to December 2019 and underwent surgical repair for ATAAD. The
patients were grouped by age; 52 patients aged ≥70 years were assigned
to the elderly group (median age, 78 years [74–83]; range, 70–94)
and 51 patients aged <70 years were assigned to the control
group (median age, 61 years [52.5–65.5]; range, 41–69). Surgical
outcomes and physical activities before and after surgery were compared
between the groups. In addition, rehabilitation outcomes in the patients
regaining ambulatory autonomy at discharge were compared between the
groups (30 patients in the elderly group vs 37 patients in the control
group). Our selection process and the number of selected patients are
shown in Figure 1. The Institutional Review Board approved this
retrospective observational study. Approval included a waiver of
informed consent.