Patient Population and Study Design
We conducted a retrospective study using an institutional database of aortic surgeries performed at our center from January 2007 to April 2021. Definitions and terminology were consistent with the Society of Thoracic Surgeons database. All patients undergoing open repair for acute type A aortic dissection were included. Those undergoing concomitant operations such as coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or carotid artery replacement were also included. Patients undergoing aortic surgery for other pathologies were excluded.
The primary aims of this study were to compare short-term postoperative outcomes and long-term survival between males and females undergoing ATAAD repair. Follow-up data was obtained from the clinical warehouse that contains all long-term survival data for patients undergoing cardiac and aortic surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University of Pittsburgh on 4/17/2019 (STUDY18120143), with written consent being waived.