The treatment of aortic dissection has already shifted to endovascular strategies. However, with the evolution of this disease and a deeper understanding of it, experts from various countries have developed a series of innovative endovascular techniques and devices in areas such as lumen reconstruction, false lumen embolization, entry sealing, and branch arteries reconstruction, targeting the long-term complication of chronic post-dissection thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm. The past few decades have seen that Chinese vascular surgeons have gradually emerged on the world stage and contributed multiple “Chinese solutions” for post-dissection thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm. The author in this review intends to provide an overview of these techniques and devices mentioned above.
The treatment of chronic thoracoabdominal aortic dissection aneurysm remains a major challenge in aortic surgery. Open surgery is the mainstream treatment at present. New devices for endovascular treatment of chronic thoracoabdominal aortic dissection are gradually applied in clinical practice. The hybrid procedure is a combination of open and endovascular procedures. The appropriate treatment should be selected according to the patient's age, anatomy, genetic aortic disease, and comorbidities.
Abstract: Objective To evaluate surgical strategies for the treatment of acute Stanford type A aortic dissection with involvement of the aortic root. Methods From January 2005 to December 2010, 62 consecutive patients underwent emergency surgical intervention for acute Stanford type A aortic dissection with involvement of the aortic root in Renji Hospital Affiliated to Medical School of Shanghai Jiaotong University. According to different methods for the management of proximal aortic dissection, these patients were divided into 3 groups: group A, aortic valve commissural suspension＋supracommissural replacement of the ascending aorta （SCR）,including 28 patients （20 males and 8 females，mean age 45.2±15.6 years）; group B, partial sinus remodeling+ascending aortic replacement, including 10 patients （7 males and 3 females，mean age 44.6±14.9 years）；group C, Bentall procedure,including 24 patients （17 males and 7 females，mean age 46.2±15.6 years）. Clinical outcomes were compared among the three groups. Results Six patients died peri-operatively and in-hospital mortality was 9.67% （6/62）. Fifty-four patients were followed up, and the mean follow-up time was 27.3±15.7 months. During follow up, 2 patients died, one for lung cancer and the other for unknown reason. One patient in group A underwent CT scan 6 months after surgery which showed aortic root pseudo-aneurysm. Cardiopulmonary bypass time and aortic cross-clamping time of group C were significantly longer than those of group A and group B （274±97 min vs. 194±65 min, 210±77 min, t=22.482, 30.419, P=0.002， 0.122；150±56 min vs. 97±33 min, 105±46 min, t=12.630, 17.089, P=0.000，0.034）. There was no statistical difference in mortality （t=1.352，P=0.516）, incidence of postoperative reexploration for bleeding, acute renal failure and neurological complication （t=0.855, 0.342, 2.281; P=0.652, 0.863, 0.320） among the three groups. Conclusion For patients with acute aortic dissection involving the aortic root, aortic valve commissural suspension+SCR，partial sinus remodeling＋ascending aortic replacement and Bentall procedure may be considered the surgical treatment of choice with respective advantages and disadvantages. Satisfactory clinical outcomes can be achieveed if surgical indications and procedures are properly employed.
Objective To determine risk factors associated with postoperative hypoxemia after surgery for acute aortic dissection. Methods We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 116 patients with acute aortic dissection who underwent endovascular stent-graft exclusion or open surgery in Qingdao Municipal Hospital from February 2007 to February 2012. All the 116 patients were diagnosed as acute aortic dissection by CT angiography （CTA），including 60 patients with Stanford type A aortic dissection and 56 patients with Stanford type B aortic dissection. According to whether they had postoperative hypoxemia，all the 116 patients with acute aortic dissection were divided into hypoxemia group［arterial partial pressure of oxygen （PaO2） /fraction of inspired oxygen （FiO2） ＜200 mm Hg］：33 patients including 28 males and 5 females with their age of 52.7±11.4 years； and non-hypoxemia group（PaO2/FiO2≥200 mm Hg）：83 patients including 66 males and 17 females with their age of 55.0±13.8 years. Perioperative clinical data were analyzed and compared between the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify risk factors of postoperative hypoxemia after surgery for acute aortic dissection. Results The incidence of postoperative hypoxemia after surgery for acute aortic dissection was 28.4% （33/116）. Perioperative death occurred in 13 patients（11.2%，including 8 patients in the hypoxemia group and 5 patients in the non-hypoxemia group）. Univariate analysis showed that preoperatively the percentages of patients with body mass index（BMI） ＞ 25 kg/m2，smoking history，duration from onset to operation ＜24 h，preoperative PaO2/FiO2≤300 mm Hg，and patients undergoing open surgery in the hypoxemia group were significantly higher than those in the non-hypoxemia group（P＜0.05）. Deep hypothermic circulatory arrest（DHCA） ratio，blood transfusion in 24 hours postoperatively，mechanical ventilation time，length of ICU stay and hospital stay in the hypoxemia group were significantly higher or longer than those in the non-hypoxemia group（P＜0.05）. Logistic multivariate regression identified BMI＞25 kg/m2（RR=98.861，P=0.006），DHCA（RR=22.487，P=0.007），preoperative PaO2/FiO2≤300 mm Hg（RR=9.080，P=0.037） and blood transfusion＞6 U in 24 hours postoperatively（RR=32.813，P=0.003） as independent predictors of postoperative hypoxemia for open-surgery patients，while BMI＞25 kg/m2 （RR=24.984，P=0.036） and preoperative PaO2/FiO2 ratio≤300 mm Hg （RR=21.145，P=0.042） as independent predictors of hypoxemia for endovascular stent-graft exclusion patients. Conclusion Postoperative hypoxemia is a common complication after surgery for acute aortic dissection. Early interventions for obesity and preoperative hypoxemia，and reducing perioperative blood transfusion may decrease the incidence of postoperative hypoxemia after surgery for acute aortic dissection.
Surgical intervention for chronic thoracoabdominal aortic dissecting aneurysms (cTAADA) is regarded as one of the most challenging procedures in the field of vascular surgery. For nearly six decades, open repair predominantly utilizing prosthetic grafts has been the treatment of choice for cTAADA. With advances in minimally invasive endovascular technologies, two novel surgical approaches have emerged: total endovascular stent-graft repair and hybrid procedures combining retrograde debranching of visceral arteries with endovascular stent-graft repair (abbreviated as hybrid procedure). Although total endovascular stent-graft repair offers reduced trauma and quicker recovery, limitations persist in clinical application due to hostile anatomical requirements of the aorta, high costs, and the lack of universally available stent-graft products. Hybrid repair, integrating the minimally invasive ethos of endovascular repair with visceral artery debranching techniques, has increasingly become a significant surgical modality for managing thoracoabdominal aneurysms, especially in cases unsuitable for open surgery or total endovascular treatment due to anatomical constraints such as aortic tortuosity or narrow true lumens in dissections. Recent enhancements in hybrid surgical approaches include ongoing optimization of visceral artery reconstruction strategies based on hemodynamic analyses, and exploration of the comparative benefits of staged versus concurrent surgical interventions.
Objective To identify the predictors of prolonged stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) in patients undergoing surgery for acute aortic dissection type A. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 80 patients who underwent surgery for acute aortic dissection type A in Qingdao Municipal Hospital from December 2009 through December 2013. The mean age of the patients was 48.9±12.5 years, including 54 males (67.5%) and 26 females (32.5%). The patients were divided into two groups based on their stay time in the ICU. Prolonged length of ICU stay was defined as 5 days or longer time in the ICU postoperatively. There were 67 patients with length of ICU stay shorter than 5 days, 13 patients with length of ICU stay 5 days or longer time. Univariate and multivariate analysis (logistic regression) were used to identify the predictive risk factors. Results The length of ICU stay was 63.2±17.4 hours and 206.9±25.4 hours separately. Overall in-hospital mortality was 3.0% and 15.4% respectively in the two groups. In univariate analyses, there were statistically significant differences with respect to the age, the European system for cardiac operative risk evaluation (EuroSCORE), the preoperative D-dimmer level, total cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) time, deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA), inotropes and occurrence of postoperative stroke, acute renal failure and acute respiratory failure, ICU stay duration and hospital stay duration between the patients with length of ICU stay shorter than 5 days and longer than 5 days. Multivariate logistic analysis showed that CPB time, occurrence of postoperative stroke, acute renal failure, or acute respiratory failure were independent predictors for prolonged ICU stay. Conclusion The incidence of prolonged ICU stay is high after surgery for acute aortic dissection type A. It can be predicted by CPB time, occurrence of postoperative stroke, acute renal failure, and acute respiratory failure were independent predictors for prolonged ICU stay. For patients with these risk factors, more perioperative care strategies are needed in order to shorten the ICU stay time.