Is Previous Cardiac Surgery A Risk Factor for Open Repair of Acute Type a Aortic Dissection

Abstract Objective To determine the optimal treatment for patients with acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) and previous cardiac surgery (PCS). Methods 545 patients underwent open repair of an ATAAD (July 1996-January 2017), including patients with (n=50) and without PCS (n=495). Data were collected through the University of Michigan Cardiac Surgery Data Warehouse, medical record review, and the National Death Index database. Results Compared to patients without PCS, patients with PCS were older (62 vs. 59, p=0.24) and had significantly more coronary artery disease (48% vs. 14%, p Conclusions ATAAD in patients with PCS can be repaired with favorable operative mortality and long-term survival, and should be treated surgically.