Outcomes of Hemiarch Versus Zone 2 Arch Replacement for DeBakey Type I Aortic Dissection

The objective of this study was to compare perioperative and long-term outcomes of hemiarch versus zone 2 arch replacement for DeBakey type I acute aortic dissection.

From 2002 to 2023, 743 patients underwent surgical repair for DeBakey type I acute aortic dissection with either hemiarch (N = 605, 81.4%) or zone 2 arch replacement (N = 138, 18.6%). 4:1 propensity-score matching yielded a cohort of 437 hemiarch patients (76.1%) and 137 zone 2 patients (23.9%). Key outcomes included 30-day mortality, 10-year survival, and distal reintervention.

In the matched cohort, 30-day mortality was 11.9% for hemiarch and 8.0% for zone 2 arch replacement (P = .198). On multivariable analysis, zone 2 arch replacement was not associated with increased risk of 30-day mortality. Ten-year survival was similar between groups, at 56.2% (50.6%-62.6%) in the hemiarch group and 59.8% (46.4%-77.1%) in the zone 2 group. Distal reintervention was more common after zone 2 arch replacement (46.7% vs 15.8%), though the majority of reinterventions in the zone 2 group were thoracic endovascular aortic repair procedures (95.3%). In contrast, over half (53.6%) of distal reinterventions after hemiarch repair were open procedures.

Zone 2 arch replacement resulted in comparable early and late survival to hemiarch replacement. Although distal reinterventions were more common after zone 2 arch replacement, these were predominantly low-risk thoracic endovascular aortic repair procedures. In appropriately selected patients, zone 2 arch replacement may enable more complete aortic repair without added perioperative risk.