title: Outcomes of open surgical repair of descending thoracic aortic disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To determine the predictors of clinical outcomes following surgical descending thoracic aortic (DTA) repair.
  
  
  METHODS
  We identified 103 patients (23 females; mean age, 64.1±12.3 years) who underwent DTA replacement from 1999 to 2011 using either deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (44%) or partial cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB, 56%).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The early mortality rate was 4.9% (n=5). Early major complications occurred in 21 patients (20.3%), which included newly required hemodialysis (9.7%), low cardiac output syndrome (6.8%), pneumonia (7.8%), stroke (6.8%), and multi-organ failure (3.9%). None experienced paraplegia. During a median follow-up of 56.3 months (inter-quartile range, 23.1 to 85.1 months), there were 17 late deaths and one aortic reoperation. Overall survival at 5 and 10 years was 80.9%±4.3% and 71.7%±5.9%, respectively. Reoperation-free survival at 5 and 10 years was 77.3%±4.8% and 70.2%±5.8%. Multivariable analysis revealed that age (hazard ratio [HR], 1.10; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05 to 1.15; p<0.001) and left ventricle (LV) function (HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.82 to 0.96; p<0.003) were significant and independent predictors of long-term mortality. CPB strategy, however, was not significantly related to mortality (p=0.49).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Surgical DTA repair was practicable in terms of acceptable perioperative mortality/morbidity as well as favorable long-term survival. Age and LV function were risk factors for long-term mortality, irrespective of the CPB strategy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Korea.
authors.forename: Won-Young
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Korea.
authors.forename: Jae Suk
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Korea.
authors.forename: Joon Bum
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Korea.
authors.forename: Sung-Ho
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Korea.
authors.forename: Suk Jung
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Choo
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Korea.
authors.forename: Cheol Hyun
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Korea.
authors.forename: Jae Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Lee
keywords: 1. Aorta; 2. Descending thoracic aorta; 3. Cardiopulmonary bypass