Short and midterm outcomes of elective total aortic arch replacement combined with coronary artery bypass grafting.

Background: This study was performed to investigate the early and late outcomes of total aortic arch replacement (TAR) with or without coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).

Methods: From October 1999 to December 2010, 200 consecutive patients underwent elective TAR for nondissecting aneurysm through a median sternotomy. Of this number, 131 (65.5%) had isolated TAR (TAR group) and 69 (34.5%) underwent concomitant CABG (TAR/CABG group). Patients in the TAR/CABG group were older and had more advanced chronic kidney disease and higher additive/logistic European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation and Japan scores than patients in the TAR group.

Results: Overall 30-day mortality was 0.5% (1 of 200) and hospital mortality was 3.5% (7 of 200). Hospital mortality was 1.5% (2 of 131) in the TAR group and 7.2% (5 of 69) in the TAR/CABG group (p=0.036). Multivariate analysis showed that operation time (odds ratio [OR] 1.01, p=0.013) was a risk factor for hospital mortality, but failed to demonstrate concomitant CABG as a risk factor. Cox proportional hazard analysis showed that age (OR 1.08, p=0.05), female sex (OR 3.58, p=0.0004), chronic kidney disease (OR 7.70, p<0.0001), and operation time (OR 1.01, p=0.0002) were risk factors for midterm mortality, whereas concomitant CABG was not (OR 0.92, p=0.87). There was a significant difference in midterm survival and freedom from major cerebrocardiovascular events in the TAR group versus the TAR/CABG group.

Conclusions: Concomitant CABG was not a risk factor for hospital morality with TAR. However, patients with concomitant CABG have more preoperative comorbidities, which may adversely affect outcomes, and which may therefore deserve special attention.