No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Background To determine if racial disparities exist between African Americans (AA) and Non‐Hispanic Whites (NHW) for patients undergoing repair of acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) at a rural tertiary academic medical center. Methods There were 215 consecutive AA and NHW patients who underwent ATAAD repair at our institution from 1999 to 2019 included in a retrospective analysis of our Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database. Statistical analysis was performed with a p value of less than .05 considered statistically significant. Results Patients undergoing ATAAD repair were 47% AA despite comprising only 27% of the total population in our region. AAs were significantly younger (54.0 vs. 61.2 years), were more likely to be hypertensive (94.1% vs. 79.7%), had higher creatinine levels (1.7 vs. 1.1 mg/dL), and higher body mass index (30.8 vs. 28.1 kg/m2) (all p values < .006). There were no significant differences in type of repair or intraoperative variables. A logistic regression analysis showed AAs had an increased rate of postoperative acute renal failure not requiring hemodialysis when compared to NHWs (20.8% vs. 10.6%, p value = .042). Thirty‐day mortality was not significantly different (15.7% vs. 13.4%) nor was 1‐year survival (78% vs. 79%) in AAs and NHWs, respectively. Conclusions Despite AAs having more medical comorbidities at presentation, there were no differences in short‐ and intermediate‐term survival. In our catchment of 1.8 million people, AAs appear to undergo ATAAD repair at a disproportionate rate versus NHWs. These findings may alter strategies for surveillance and prevention of aortic disease in this high‐risk population.

No abstract