%0 Journal Article
%T The modified frozen elephant trunk may outperform limited and extended-classic repair in acute type I dissection.
%A Roselli EE
%A Kramer B
%A Germano E
%A Toth A
%A Vargo PR
%A Bakaeen F
%A Menon V
%A Blackstone EH
%A
%J Eur J Cardiothorac Surg
%V 63
%N 6
%D 06 2023 1
%M 37018150
%F 4.534
%R 10.1093/ejcts/ezad122
%X A better surgical approach for acute DeBakey type I dissection has been sought for decades. We compare operative trends, complications, reinterventions and survival after limited versus extended-classic versus modified frozen elephant trunk (mFET) repair for this condition.
From 1 January 1978 to 1 January 2018, 879 patients underwent surgery for acute DeBakey type I dissection at Cleveland Clinic. Repairs were limited to the ascending aorta/hemiarch (701.79%) or extended through the arch [extended classic (88.10%) or mFET (90.10%)]. Weighted propensity score matched established comparable groups.
Among weighted propensity-matched patients, mFET repair had similar circulatory arrest times and postoperative complications to limited repair, except for postoperative renal failure, which was twice as high in the limited group [25% (n = 19) vs 12% (n = 9), P = 0.006]. Lower in-hospital mortality was observed following limited compared to extended-classic repair [9.1% (n = 7) vs 19% (n = 16), P = 0.03], but not after mFET repair [12% (n = 9) vs 9.5% (n = 8), P = 0.6]. Extended-classic repair had higher risk of early death than limited repair (P = 0.0005) with no difference between limited and mFET repair groups (P = 0.9); 7-year survival following mFET repair was 89% compared to 65% after limited repair. Most reinterventions following limited or extended-classic repair underwent open reintervention. All reinterventions following mFET repair were completed endovascularly.
Without increasing in-hospital mortality or complications, less renal failure and a trend towards improved intermediate survival, mFET may be superior to limited or extended-classic repair for acute DeBakey type I dissections. mFET repair facilitates endovascular reintervention, potentially reducing future invasive reoperations and warranting continued study.