Hospital mortality of patients aged 80 and older after surgical repair for type A acute aortic dissection in Japan

To evaluate whether patients aged 80 and older have higher risk of hospital mortality after repair of type A acute aortic dissection (TAAAD). Emergency surgery for TAAAD in patients aged 80 and older remains a controversial issue because of its high surgical risk. Data from patients who underwent surgical repair of TAAAD between April 2011 and March 2013 were retrospectively extracted from the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination database. The effect of age on hospital mortality was evaluated using multivariate logistic regression analysis. A total of 5175 patients were enrolled. The mean age of patients was 67.1 +/- 13.0 years, and the male: female ratio was 51: 49. Patients aged 80 and older more frequently received tracheostomy than their younger counterparts (9.5% vs 5.4%, P<0.001). Intensive care unit and hospital stays were significantly longer in the elderly cohort versus the younger cohort (7.6 vs 6.7 days, P<0.001, and 42.2 vs 35.8 days, P<0.001, respectively). Logistic regression analysis showed that age >= 80 years was significantly associated with a higher risk of hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 1.62; 95% confidence interval, 1.28-2.06; P<0.001). In linear regression analysis, age >= 80 years was also significantly associated with longer hospital stay (P=0.007). In a large, nationwide, Japanese database, patients aged 80 and older were at increased risk of hospital mortality and length of hospital stay.