Surgery for acute type A aortic dissection in octogenarians is justified.

Objective: Surgery in octogenarians with acute type A aortic dissection is commonly avoided or denied because of the high surgical morbidity and mortality reported in elderly patients. We sought to compare clinical and quality of life outcomes between octogenarians and those aged less than 80 years who underwent surgical repair at New York Medical College.

Methods: A total of 101 cases of acute type A aortic dissection repair between July 2005 and December 2011 were retrospectively analyzed, comparing 21 octogenarians with 80 concurrent patients aged less than 80 years.

Peripheral extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: comprehensive therapy for high-risk massive pulmonary embolism.

Background: Although commonly reserved as a last line of defense, experienced centers have reported excellent results with pulmonary embolectomy for massive and submassive pulmonary embolism (PE). We present a contemporary surgical series for PE that demonstrates the utility of peripheral extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (pECMO) for high-risk surgical candidates.

Methods: Between June 2005 and April 2011, 29 patients were treated for massive or submassive pulmonary embolism, with surgical embolectomy performed in 26.