Preoperative and operative predictors of delayed neurologic deficit following repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm.

Purpose: Delayed neurologic deficit has been recognized in recent years as a source of morbidity following thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic repair. We wanted to find risk factors specifically significant for delayed neurologic deficit. In this initial study we looked at preoperative and operative risk factors.

Cardiac function predicts mortality following thoracoabdominal and descending thoracic aortic aneurysm repair.

Objective: Previous studies have identified age, renal failure and aneurysm extent as predictors of mortality following thoracoabdominal and descending thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) repair. We studied the impact of coronary artery disease (CAD) and cardiac function on 30-day mortality following TAA repair.

Methods: Between February 1991 and May 2001, we performed 854 TAA repairs.

Analysis of short-term multivariate competing risks data following thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic repair.

Objective: Estimating the overall successfulness of a treatment can be difficult when success is defined by freedom from multiple endpoints that are each subject to competing risks. We describe a method for modeling short-term competing outcomes.

Methods: We used polytomous categorical variable modeling to describe the 30-day onset of renal failure, neurologic deficit, stroke or death (events) following repair of 841 thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms.