Demographic Features of Acute Type A Aortic Dissection in a Heterogeneous Population of the Gulf Cooperation Council Region

Introduction: Type A aortic dissection (TAAD) management has markedly evolved in the last 20 years. However, the effect of patient demographics on TAAD presentation and outcomes has not been extensively studied worldwide. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate patient characteristics and their association with the perioperative parameters in a mixed population of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. Methods: Consecutive patients presenting with TAAD (n=68) at a single centre between 2015 and 2021 were included. Seasonal variations in the occurrence of TAAD were described. Data on patient demographics, past medical history, presenting symptoms, operative techniques, postoperative complications, and in-hospital mortality were collected retrospectively and compared between patients with low (n=34) versus high (n=34) socioeconomic status (SES), and p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Of the 68 TAAD patients (mean age at presentation, 48.2 ± 15.6 years), 79.4% were male. Admissions for TAAD peaked in spring with 25 cases, contrasting with the lowest number of 12 events in summer (36.8 versus 17.6%; RR 2.1; p=0.03). A total of 75% of patients were non-GCC nationals, of whom 31.4% originated from Western Asia/Levant, 25.5% from Southeast Asia, and 23.5% from the Indian subcontinent. Compared with the high-SES group, patients with low SES were numerically more likely to present with syncope (17.6% versus 2.9%; p=0.1) and featured a notable trend toward requiring more complex aortic reconstruction (88.2% versus 67.6%; p=0.08). Additionally, the low-SES group had numerically more prolonged intensive care unit and hospital length of stay, and a lower rate of previously diagnosed connective tissue disease (0 versus 11.76%, p=0.1). However, the rate of postoperative complications and in-hospital mortality were comparable between the groups. Conclusion: In this study from the GCC region, a significantly younger age at presentation with TAAD compared to Western data was identified, with considerable seasonal variation in incidence. In addition, patients with low SES presenting with TAAD appear to have increased resource usage during hospitalisation.