Introduction Aortic diseases are among the most serious cardiovascular diseases; the overall mortality rate due to diseases such as aneurysms and aortic dissections has been estimated at 2.78 per 100,000 persons in 2010, with a higher mortality rate in men than women. Our objective was to evaluate the epidemiological profile of patients with acute type A aortic dissection at a cardiology referral center. Methods A retrospective cross-sectional study was performed at a public cardiac center with 24 patients hospitalized from 1/1/2016 to 12/31/2017 with a confirmed diagnosis of acute type A aortic dissection. Results Twenty (83.3%) out of 24 patients underwent surgery and four (16.7%) did not undergo surgery. Among those who underwent surgery, 10 (50%) died and 10 (50%) were discharged, and all non-operated patients died ( P =0.114) (Fisher's exact test). The male gender predominated (n=19, 79.2%), 86.7% (n=13) of the patients presented body mass index > 25 kg/m 2 , chest pain was found in 91.7% (n=22), and renal failure was present in 45.8% (n=11) of the cases. Hypertension predominated in 91.7% (n=22) and the main exam was aortic angiotomography in 79.2% (n=19) of the cases. Conclusion The study presented a small sample size, making it impossible to associate the factors, although the service was considered a high-volume referral center. It is possible that the delay in arriving at the service and the accomplishment of invasive imaging with the use of contrast agents have aggravated the patients’ condition and have been decisive for the increase in lethality, which requires further studies.

This study aims to demonstrate the use of surgical ostioplasty of the left main coronary artery as an alternative technique to the conventional use of coronary artery bypass grafting for the treatment of left main stem-isolated ostial stenosis. From 2002 to 2021, five patients—three women (60%) and two men (40%)—presented with a history of angina pectoris and were diagnosed with isolated stenosis of the coronary ostia associated with normal distal coronary arteries. Pre-operative cardiac catheterization and echocardiography were performed to aid in the diagnosis. The patients were submitted to surgical ostioplasty with a posterior approach using a saphenous patch. There were no hospital deaths or myocardial infarctions during the post-operative period. The mean cardiopulmonary bypass time was 82 min (range, 70–95 min), and the mean aortic-clamp time was 62 min (range, 55–75 min). The average time of hospitalization was 6.2 days (range, 4–18 days). Patients with isolated stenosis of the coronary ostia associated with normal distal coronary arteries may be submitted to left main coronary artery ostioplasty as an alternative to coronary artery bypass grafting, the traditional surgical technique for this pathology.

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