Long-Term Outcome and Quality of Life in Aortic Type A Dissection Survivors

Abstract

Background Aortic dissection is a severe and sophisticated disease that is often linked with a number of possible complications. Our study concerns with long-term outcome and quality of life (QoL) in acute aortic dissection type A (AADA) survivors.

Methods From January 1999 until December 2006, 120 consecutive patients with AADA received an emergency operation. Of the total number of patients, 84 were males (70.0%) and 36 females (30.0%), mean aged 59.8 ± 12 years with a mean follow-up (FU) of 99.2 ± 6 months.

Results Overall mortality was 39.1% during the observational period with a maximum of 156 months. SF-36 observation showed a significant decay in both Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) in FU_II (PCS = 38.4) versus FU_I (PCS = 43.4, p = 0.013).

Conclusion With ongoing postoperative time, patients did not recover but instead have got worse in terms of QoL. The decrease in MCP and linked subscores is an underestimated factor in QoL and long-term outcome after AADA. This is especially true in younger patients, which are judged to compensate better than older patients.

Keywords

aortic dissection - SF-36 - quality of life - long-term outcome

Note

Parts of this article were presented at the annual meeting of the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. Date and venue of presentation: February 19, 2013, Messe Freiburg, 79108 Freiburg, Germany.

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