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.