Radoslaw Gocol

and 5 more

Background Open aortic arch surgery is a complex cardiac surgical procedure. Aims We have reviewed the 10-year outcomes of elective surgery for aortic arch aneurysm in the Cardiac Surgery Department, Upper-Silesian Medical Center of the Medical University of Silesia. Methods The analysis includes all patients who underwent elective aortic arch surgery at our institution from January 2010 to December 2020. To assess the impact of the surgical learning curve the study population was divided into group A consisting of patients operated during the first 5 years, and group B, including patients operated during the subsequent 5 years. Both groups were compared with regard to baseline characteristics, scope of the surgery, operative and postoperative data as well as morbidity and mortality. Results Eighty-six elective aortic arch surgeries were performed during the analyzed period, including 25 patients (29%) in group A and 61 patients in group B (71%). The hemiarch procedure was more frequently performed in group A (17 patients, 68%) in comparison to group B (21 patients, 34%) (P=0.008). More procedures on the descending aorta were performed in group B (27 patients, 44%) than in group A (6 patients, 24%) (P=0.09). Stroke was recorded in 6 patients (20%) from group A and 5 patients (8.2%) from group B (P=0.002). Five-year survival was 60±9.8% for group A, and 81±6.2% for group B (log-rank test, P=0.003). Conclusions After completion of the learning curve, open aortic arch surgery is associated with acceptable early mortality, low incidence of stroke, and high 5-year survival rate.