Ultra fast track anesthesia in acute Stanford type A aortic dissection surgery: a single-center retrospective study

Acute Stanford type A aortic dissection (ATAAD), as a cardiovascular critical emergency with an extremely high mortality rate and rapid onset, often requires extracorporeal circulation and deep hypothermic circulatory arrest techniques during surgery, posing challenges to conventional anesthesia management. This study aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of ultra fast track anesthesia (UFTA) in individuals undergoing surgery for ATAAD.

A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients who underwent ATAAD surgery at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University between January 2023 and December 2024. A total of 196 patients were primarily included and 90 patients were ultimately enrolled after strict inclusion and exclusion. The patients were classified according to anesthesia protocol administered: the UFTA group (n=30) and the control (standard general anesthesia) group (n=60). Postoperative complications, recovery parameters, and hospitalization costs were compared between groups.

Compared to the control group, the UFTA group demonstrated significantly lower hospitalization costs [234,000±62,000 vs. 282,000±104,000 China yuan (CNY); P=0.02], reduced 24-hour postoperative drainage volume (524.4±94.5 vs. 582.7±110.4 ml; P=0.01). No statistically significant differences were observed in the incidence of postoperative complications between the groups.

Among patients undergoing surgery for ATAAD, UFTA appears to be a safe and feasible anesthetic approach that may facilitate enhanced postoperative recovery and reduce overall healthcare costs.