Background: Tipe A aortic dissection involves the ascending aorta and has high mortality rates without surgical treatment.
Aim: To report the results of surgical treatment of type A aortic dissection.
Material and methods: Retrospective review of medical records of 100 patients aged 17 to 78 years (73% males) operated between January 2000 and August 2008, for type A aortic dissection. Follow up was performed with telephone interviews and review of national death records.
Results: Eighty three percent of patients had an acute dissection. Operative mortality was 27 and 20% for patients with acute and chronic dissection, respectively. Mortality was 50% among patients aged 70 years or more, compared with 21% among their younger counterparts, The most common complication was bleeding that required a new surgical procedure in 18% of patients. Actuarial survival was 70% at five years. Cardiovascular problems caused the death of two of the nine patients that died during follow up.
Conclusions: Surgical mortality among patients with type A aortic dissection was higher among patients with acute episodes and those aged 70 years or more.