Background: Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a prognostic predictor in a wide range of cardiovascular disease. Acute aortic dissection (AD) is an uncommon but fatal cardiovascular disease. In this study, we investigated both prognostic factors in patients with AD and whether NLR can be a predictor for mortality. Methods: We analyzed retrospectively the data of 57 patients with AD who had undergone emergent surgery in our hospital and included 128 consecutive patients with chest pain admitted to the emergency room as a control group. Also, patients who were operated on due to aortic dissection as another subgroup were compared to NLR values. Baseline clinical features, cardiovascular risk factors, and surgical and laboratory parameters were obtained from the hospital database. Results: Patients with AD had higher NLR than the control group (1.7 ± 0.5 versus 7.6 ± 3.3, P < .001). In the AD group, 15 deaths occurred and non-survivors had significantly higher NLR, compared to survivors (11.6 ± 2.4 versus 6.6 ± 2.3, P < .001). In multivariate analysis, high NLR (odds ratio [OR] 1.913, 95% CI 1.030-1.081, P = .04) and cross-clamp time (OR 1.265, 95% CI 1.003-1.596, P = .04) were determined as independent predictors of in-hospital mortality. In receiver operating characteristics curve analyses, the NLR > 9.3 predicted the mortality in AD with a specificity of 91% and a sensitivity of 86% (P < .001).Conclusion: This study shows that high NLR can be used as a marker for prognosis in short-term mortality of patient with AD. Additionally, increased lactate level in perioperative period, prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass time, and additional cardiac procedures are strong independent predictors of short-term mortality in patients with acute AD.

Staged and combined surgical approaches yield comparable outcomes. A staged approach may provide a more favorable neurological outcome with significantly reduced need for intraluminal shunting. Long-term outcome is, however, similar.