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.