Female Sex Portends Worse Long-Term Survival after Open Type I-III Thoracoabdominal Aneurysm Repair.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Although outcomes after infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery are worse in females, sex-specific differences in outcomes after open thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA) repair are less clear. The goal of this study was to identify sex-based disparities in short- and long-term outcomes after open type I-III TAAA surgery. METHODS: All open type I-III TAAA repairs performed from 1987 to 2015 were evaluated using an institutional database. Charts were retrospectively evaluated for perioperative outcomes: major adverse events (MAEs), in-hospital death, and long-term survival. Univariate analysis was performed using the Fisher's exact test for categorical variables and the Wilcoxon rank-sum test for continuous variables. Logistic regression was used for in-hospital end points; survival analyses were performed with Cox proportional hazards modeling and Kaplan-Meier techniques. Sensitivity analyses were performed for relevant multivariable models, one with ruptures removed and another evaluating only repairs performed before 2006 to account for any selection bias due to wider use of complex endovascular technology. RESULTS: Five-hundred sixteen patients underwent open type I-III TAAA repair during the study period. Females accounted for 54.3% (n = 280) of the cohort. Women were older, less likely to have a chronic dissection etiology, more likely to present with a symptomatic/ruptured lesion, and had a lower admission creatinine than men. Perioperative death occurred in 23 men (9.8%) and 19 women (6.8%) (P = 0.26); 133 women (47.3%) and 116 men (49.2%) suffered an MAE (P = 0.72). Multivariable analyses revealed no sex-based difference in perioperative death (Female sex adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 0.72, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.4-1.4, P = 0.34) or MAE (AOR 1.0 CI 0.7-1.5, P = 0.82). Unadjusted survival at five years was 50% for women and 67% for men (log-rank P < 0.001). Female sex was an independent predictor of decreased survival (hazard ratio (HR) 1.5 95% CI 1.2-1.9, P = 0.001) when adjusted for age, aneurysm extent, creatinine, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and ruptures. After removing all ruptures, female sex remained nonpredictive of perioperative death (AOR 1.1, 95% CI 0.5-2.5, P = 0.75) or MAE (AOR 1.2, CI 0.8-1.9, P = 0.31) and predictive of decreased long-term survival (HR 1.5, 95% CI 1.2-2.0, P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Those undergoing open type I-III TAAA repair have similar rates of perioperative mortality and MAEs, regardless of sex. However, female sex is an independent risk factor for decreased long-term survival.