High-Volume Practice by a Single Specialized Team Reduces Mortality and Morbidity of Elective and Urgent Aortic Root Replacement.

Background: Elective aortic root replacement (ARR), or the Bentall procedure, is associated with significant mortality and complications. Recent studies have shown that high procedure volume has an inverse association with postoperative mortality. The outcomes of patients undergoing elective/urgent ARR by a single, high-volume surgical team were assessed in this study.

Methods: Patients undergoing nonemergency, elective/urgent ARR for non-Marfan aortic root dilatation, from October 2005 to March 2011, were studied. Valve-preserving procedures, extra-anatomic bypass, and arch and descending aortic repairs were excluded. Patient demographics, operative details, and postoperative outcomes were collected prospectively. Surgical techniques included central cannulation and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) at 35°C. Following aneurysm excision, a composite valve-conduit reconstruction with coronary button reimplantation was performed. Tissue glue, Teflon pledgets, and blood products were seldom used. Patients were followed locally at 8 weeks, 6 months, and annually thereafter with echocardiography and computed tomographic (CT) scanning.

Results: From October 2005 to March 2011, 163 ARRs were performed. Of these, 131 (80%) were isolated first time procedures (four in pregnant women), six were redo (4%), and in 26 (16%) ARR was combined with concomitant valve or coronary artery revascularization procedures. Median age was 63 years (range 19-84). Median cross-clamp and CPB times were 73 (range 69-87) and 86 minutes (range 85-126), respectively. There was one in-hospital death (mortality = 0.6%), one patient underwent resternotomy for bleeding, two required hemofiltration, and there were no strokes. Median hospital stay was 6 days (range 5-11). Median follow-up was 2.9 years (range 6 months-4.3 years) with 100% freedom from reoperation. There was no late distal ascending aorta/arch dilatation. There were two late deaths (1.2%) due to pneumonia and stroke.

Conclusions: High-volume surgery, with minimal use of hemostatic adjuncts and sustained follow-up, leads to excellent outcomes, with low morbidity and mortality following ARR.