Blood Pressure and Heart Rate Management in Patients After Repair of Type A Aortic Dissection.

BACKGROUND

The long-term optimal targets for blood pressure and heart rate in patients after surgical repair of acute type A aortic dissection (TAAD) remain unclear. This study evaluated the long-term association of blood pressure and heart rate control on patients after TAAD surgical repair.

METHODS

We identified 839 patients who underwent TAAD surgical repair and survived to discharge between 2003 and 2018 from the Chang Gung Research Database. Primary outcomes included all-cause mortality, aortic progression, and aortic surgery events. Vital signs examined were systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate (HR) at discharge and at 3 months of follow-up.

RESULTS

The patients were a mean age of 57.2 ± 13.6 years, and approximately two-thirds were men. The results showed that SBP >150 mm Hg at discharge was correlated with increased all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 3.21; 95% CI, 1.61-6.37). Moreover, an HR between 81 and 100 beats/min was associated with a higher hazard of all-cause mortality (aHR, 2.59; 95% CI, 1.28-5.24) and an HR >100 beats/min was also associated with a higher hazard of aortic surgery events (aHR, 2.19; 95% CI 1.24-3.86) compared with an HR of ≤80 beats/min at discharge. During the 3-month follow-up, an HR >100 beats/min was associated with a higher hazard of all-cause mortality (aHR, 3.59; 95% CI, 1.19-10.78) relative to an HR ≤80.

CONCLUSIONS

The careful management of blood pressure and HR contributes to favorable long-term outcomes in patients after surgical repair of TAAD.