Type A aortic dissection repair at high versus low volume centers

Abstract Background Studies have shown significant improvement in outcomes when ATAAD repairs are performed at high-volume centers, with both center and surgeon volumes contributing to improved survival. The aim of our study was to evaluate our own network and determine differences in ATAAD outcomes between our high- and low-volume aortic centers. Methods This was an observational, multi-center retrospective study consisting of 205 cases of ATAAD repair within our institution, consisting of 3 hospitals within the region that perform cardiac surgery, from January 2017 to January 2025. Preoperative characteristics, operative characteristics, and postoperative outcomes were collected, stratified by center volume (high vs low) and analyzed. Results There were 205 patients identified with ATAAD who presented to our health network. Of these, 164 presented to our high-volume center while 41 presented to our low volume centers. When stratified by center volume, there was no significant difference in preoperative characteristics. What was significant were the cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) [174 (137-218) versus 236.5 (195.5-288) minutes, p