Outcomes of acute type A aortic dissection during the COVID‐19 pandemic: An analysis of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Database

Purpose There have been reported reductions of hospital presentation for acute cardiovascular conditions such as myocardial infarction and acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) in the United States during the COVID‐19 pandemic. This study examined presentation patterns and outcomes of ATAAD in North America immediately before, and during, the COVID‐19 pandemic. Methods The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (STS ACSD) was queried to identify patients presenting with ATAAD in the 12 months pre‐pandemic (March 2019–February 2020), and during the early pandemic (March through June 2020). Demographics and operative characteristics were compared using χ² test and Wilcoxon Rank‐sum test. The median annual case volume designated low‐volume centers versus high‐volume centers (>10 cases per month). Step‐wise variable selection was used to create a risk set used for adjustment of all multivariable models. Results There were 5480 patients identified: 4346 pre‐pandemic and 1134 during pandemic. There was significantly lower volume of median cases per month during the COVID‐19 pandemic period (286 interquartile range [IQR]: 256–306 vs. 372 IQR: 291–433,p = .0152). In historically low‐volume centers (