Patterns in acute aortic dissection and a connection to meteorological conditions in Germany.

Acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) is a dramatic emergency exhibiting a mortality of 50% within the first 48 hours if not operated. This study found an absolute value of cosine-like seasonal variation pattern for Germany with significantly fewer ATAAD events (Wilcoxon test) for the warm months of June, July, and August from 2005 to 2015. Many studies suspect a connection between ATAAD events and weather conditions. Using ERA5 reanalysis data and an objective weather type classification in a contingency table approach showed that for Germany, significantly more ATAAD events occurred during lower temperatures (by about 4.8 K), lower water vapor pressure (by about 2.6 hPa), and prevailing wind patterns from the northeast. In addition, we used data from a classification scheme for human-biometeorological weather conditions which was not used before in ATAAD studies. For the German region of Berlin and Brandenburg, for 2006 to 2019, the proportion of days with ATAAD events during weather conditions favoring hypertension (cold air advection, in the center of a cyclone, conditions with cold stress or thermal comfort) was significantly increased by 13% (Chi-squared test for difference of proportions). In contrast, the proportion was decreased by 19% for conditions associated with a higher risk for patients with hypotension and therefore a lower risk for patients with hypertension (warm air advection ahead of warm fronts, conditions with no thermal stress or heat stress, in the center of a cyclone with thermal stress). As many studies have shown that hypertension is a risk factor for ATAAD, our findings support the hypothesized relation between ATAAD and hypertension-favoring weather conditions.

Cerebral Protection Strategies and Stroke in Surgery for Acute Type A Aortic Dissection.

BACKGROUND: Perioperative stroke remains a devastating complication in the operative treatment of acute type A aortic dissection. To reduce the risk of perioperative stroke, different perfusion techniques can be applied. A consensus on the preferred cerebral protection strategy does not exist. METHODS: To provide an overview about the different cerebral protection strategies, literature research on Medline/PubMed was performed. All available original articles reporting on cerebral protection in surgery for acute type A aortic dissection and neurologic outcomes since 2010 were included. RESULTS: Antegrade and retrograde cerebral perfusion may provide similar neurological outcomes while outperforming deep hypothermic circulatory arrest. The choice of arterial cannulation site and chosen level of hypothermia are influencing factors for perioperative stroke. CONCLUSIONS: Deep hypothermic circulatory arrest is not recommended as the sole cerebral protection technique. Antegrade and retrograde cerebral perfusion are today's standard to provide cerebral protection during aortic surgery. Bilateral antegrade cerebral perfusion potentially leads to superior outcomes during prolonged circulatory arrest times between 30 and 50 min. Arterial cannulation sites with antegrade perfusion (axillary, central or carotid artery) in combination with moderate hypothermia seem to be advantageous. Every concept should be complemented by adequate intraoperative neuromonitoring.

Health-related quality of life of patients after surgery for acute Type A aortic dissection.

OBJECTIVES: Acute Type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) and the ensuing surgical therapy may be experienced as a traumatic event by patients. This study aimed at analysing the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the physical and mental well-being of survivors of surgically treated ATAAD. METHODS: A total of 393 survivors were contacted and asked to fill in various health questionnaires. RESULTS: Two hundred and ten (53%) patients returned the questionnaires. The mean follow-up was 51 ± 27.8 months. The results showed that 67.6% had high blood pressure, 12.9% had pre-existing diseases of the aorta and 31.5% or 27% of these groups were at risk for PTSD according to the health questionnaires. Duration of intensive care unit or hospital stay had no effect on the risk for PTSD. According to the questionnaire, Short Form 12, physical and mental well-being was significantly reduced in the patients compared to a large German norm sample, even after adjustment for differences in age between the 2 cohorts. Physical activity prior to the event was associated with improved physical and mental well-being but did not reduce the risk for PTSD. CONCLUSIONS: Emergency surgery for ATAAD is associated with high risk for PTSD, which seems to negatively affect physical and mental well-being. More efforts should be directed at prevention and early diagnosis and therapy of PTSD. This study has evaluated 8-year trends in the presentation, diagnosis and outcomes such as physical and mental measures and prevalence rates of PTSD in patients who have undergone an emergency operation for ATAAD.

How to prevent inadvertent emergency anticoagulation in acute type A aortic dissection: when in doubt, don't.

Inadvertent emergency anticoagulation in patients with acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) has been sparsely reported. There are case reports bringing this potential critical incident to attention, however, little is known about the number of undetected and unreported cases. We approach this issue based on a case report of inadvertent emergency anticoagulation in ATAAD and attempt to shed light on aspects that may have contributed to the critical incident: The challenge of distinguishing an ATAAD from an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and the potential underestimation of incidents of ATAAD. We also discuss errors and biases in medical decision making, and provide suggestions that may help raise awareness of how ATAAD can be mimicking ACS in clinical practice.