Determinants of Neurological Outcome Following Elective and Emergency Open Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair—A Retrospective Multi-Center Study

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate and establish the incidence of all types of neurological complications at our high-volume reference center for open TAAA repair in the Netherlands and Germany. Additionally, we sought to identify predictors for various neurological complications. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in accordance with the STROBE guidelines, with the aim of reporting neurological outcomes for all patients who underwent open thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair at two centers (Maastricht-Aachen) from 2000 to 2023, and to examine the association between these outcomes and pre- and perioperative parameters. The primary endpoints of the study were all-cause mortality, spinal cord ischemia (SCI), stroke, intracerebral bleeding (ICB), critical illness polyneuropathy/myopathy (CIP/CIM), and recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis. Results: A total of 577 patients were operated on for open TAAA repair in two centers. The total in-hospital mortality rate was 20.6%, while the elective cases in-hospital mortality rate was 14.6%. In all, 28.2% of patients experienced neurological complications. The spinal cord ischemia rate was 7.5%, intracerebral bleeding 3.6%, stroke 5.9%, critical illness polyneuropathy 3.5%, and laryngeal nerve paresis 5.7%. Crawford extent II was significantly associated with increased neurological complications (OR 2.05, 95% CI 1.39–3.03, p = 0.003), while Crawford extent III and IV were significantly associated with fewer postoperative neurological complications (OR 0.61 (0.38–0.98) p = 0.04) (OR 0.52 (0.30–0.92) p = 0.02). Preoperative ASA score > 3 (OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.16–2.67, p = 0.007), COPD (OR 1.82, 95% CI 1.19–2.78, p = 0.006), massive intraoperative transfusion (OR 1.48, 95% CI 1.01–2.17, p = 0.04), and reinterventions during hospital stay (OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.36–2.89, p < 0.001) and surgery time (p =< 0.001) were significantly associated with neurological complications. Patients with neurological complications had higher rates of other postoperative morbidities. Conclusions: Neurological complications after open TAAA repair remain a significant concern, with identified risk factors associated with increased morbidity, mortality, and resource utilization. Identifying at-risk patients could potentially lead to a reduction in neurological complications.