In-hospital outcome of type A aortic dissection repair in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A population study of National Inpatient Sample from 2015 to 2020

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common comorbidity that has been linked to higher mortality and respiratory complications in cardiac surgery. However, the postoperative outcomes for COPD patients undergoing Type A Aortic Dissection (TAAD) repair remain unexplored. Thus, this study aimed to assess the impact of COPD on in-hospital outcomes of TAAD repair in a national registry. Methods: Patients undergoing TAAD repair were identified in National Inpatient Sample from the last quarter of 2015–2020. Multivariable logistic regressions were used to compare in-hospital outcomes between patients with and without COPD, where demographics, comorbidities, hospital characteristics, primary payer status, and transfer status were adjusted. Results: There were 701 (16.37 %) COPD patients and 3581 (83.63 %) non-COPD patients who went under TAAD repair, where the prevalence of COPD was higher than in the general population (6 %). COPD and non-COPD patients have comparable rates of in-hospital mortality (14.69 % vs 15.19 %, aOR 1.016, 95 CI 0.797–1.295, p = 0.9) and there was no indication of delayed surgery. However, COPD patients had a higher risk of mechanical ventilation (37.80 % vs 31.42 %, aOR 1.521, 95 CI 1.267–1.825, p < 0.01) and a higher rate of transferring out to other facilities (38.37 % vs 32.23 %, aOR 1.271, 95 CI 1.054–1.533, p = 0.01). In addition, COPD patients had a longer hospital length of stay (14.28 ± 11.32 vs 13.85 ± 12.78 days, F = 5.61, p = 0.01). Conclusion: The presence of COPD could be a risk factor for the development of aortic dissection. However, outcomes for COPD patients were largely similar to those without COPD. These findings can be valuable for preoperative assessments and tailoring perioperative care for COPD patients undergoing TAAD repair.