title: Invited commentary.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery (Thoracic), University Medical Center at Princeton, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA. ldberriz@ctsx.net
authors.forename: Luis D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Berrizbeitia
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000601:surgery*; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation / Q000379:methods / Q000401:mortality*; D002138:Calibration; D016002:Discriminant Analysis; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications / Q000401:mortality* / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000401:mortality*; D012372:ROC Curve; D012306:Risk; D012720:Severity of Illness Index