Increased hospital volume is associated with reduced mortality after thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair

Contemporary data on outcomes in open thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA) repair are limited to reports from major aortic referral centers showing excellent outcomes. This study aimed to characterize the national experience of open TAAA repair using national outcomes data, with a primary focus on the association of hospital volume with mortality and morbidity. The Nationwide Inpatient Sample was queried from 1998 to 2011, and all patients with a diagnosis of TAAA who underwent open operative repair were included. These patients were further stratified into tertiles based on the operative volume of the institution that performed the operation: low volume (LV),