Open arch reconstruction in the endovascular era: analysis of 721 patients over 17 years

Recent advancements in thoracic endovascular aortic repair, such as branched endografts or hybrid debranching/thoracic endovascular aortic repair, have extended the option of endoluminal therapy into the realm of the aortic arch. A contemporary assessment of open arch repair to provide long-term data for comparative analysis for these newer therapies is timely, warranted, and presented in this article.

Since the inception of our thoracic endovascular aortic repair program in 1993, 721 patients (mean age of 59.3 years, 68.9% were male) have undergone median sternotomy and open arch reconstruction with hypothermic circulatory arrest. Extended arch repair was performed in 42.7% with construction of bypasses to the innominate (296 patients), left carotid (216 patients), and subclavian (75 patients) arteries or elephant trunk procedures (42 patients). Concomitant aortic valve or aortic root replacement was required in 403 patients, and root reconstruction was required in 222 patients. Retrograde (641 patients) or antegrade (400 patients) cerebral perfusion was used for neuroprotection during hypothermic circulatory arrest. The operative procedure was urgent or emergency in 316 patients (43.8%) and included repair of type A dissection in 284 patients (39.3%). A total of 111 patients (15.4%) had undergone prior cardiac surgery. Primary outcomes in this study were early and late mortality. Follow-up was 100% complete (mean, 52.6 months).

Thirty-day morbidity included death (36 patients [5%]), stroke (34 patients [4.7%]), and permanent dialysis (14 patients [1.9%]). Independent predictors of early mortality included advancing age, prolonged bypass times, and impaired ejection fraction (all P < .05). Actuarial survival at 10 years was 65%. Independent predictors of late mortality included advancing age, prolonged lower body circulatory arrest times, and increasing creatinine (all P < .05). By Kaplan-Meier analysis, 10-year survival was significantly reduced after operative procedures for type A dissection (non-type A 69.1% vs type A 58%, P = .003). Freedom from aortic reoperation (any segment) was 72.6% at 10 years.

Open aortic arch repair can be accomplished with excellent early and late results. These outcomes provide objective data for comparison and suggest that newer endovascular therapies should be evaluated first in high-risk groups, such as those with advanced age or impaired renal function before broader application in all patients.