Does preoperative dual antiplatelet therapy affect bleeding and mortality after total arch repair for acute type A dissection?

Objectives: Data are scarce and mixed regarding the impact of preoperative dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) on the surgical outcomes of acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD). We seek to evaluate the impact of DAPT on bleeding-related events and early- and mid-term mortality after total arch replacement and frozen elephant trunk in such patients.

Methods: This study comprised 48 ATAAD patients on preoperative DAPT and 418 without DAPT (the whole series, i.