OBJECTIVES: Gender difference in the outcome after type A aortic dissection (TAAD) surgery remains an issue of ongoing debate. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of gender on the short- and long-term outcome after surgery for TAAD. METHODS: A multicentre European registry retrospectively included all consecutive TAAD surgery patients between 2005 and 2021 from 18 hospitals across 8 European countries. Early and late mortality, and cumulative incidence of aortic reoperation were compared between genders. RESULTS: A total of 3902 patients underwent TAAD surgery, with 1185 (30.4%) being females. After propensity score matching, 766 pairs of males and females were compared. No statistical differences were detected in the early postoperative outcome between genders. Ten-year survival was comparable between genders (47.8% vs 47.1%; log-rank test, P = 0.679), as well as cumulative incidences of distal or proximal aortic reoperations. Ten-year relative survival compared to country-, year-, age- and sex-matched general population was higher among males (0.65) compared to females (0.58). The time-period subanalysis revealed advancements in surgical techniques in both genders over the years. However, an increase in stroke was observed over time for both populations, particularly among females. CONCLUSIONS: The past 16 years have witnessed marked advancements in surgical techniques for TAAD in both males and females, achieving comparable early and late mortality rates. Despite these findings, late relative survival was still in favour of males.

Cardiac Surgery Molinette Hospital University of Turin Turin Italy

Cardiothoracic Department University Hospital Udine Italy

Cardiovascular Surgery Department University Hospital Gregorio Marañón Madrid Spain

Department of Cardiac Surgery 3rd Faculty of Medicine Charles University and University Hospital Kralovske Vinohrady Prague Czech Republic

Department of Cardiac Surgery Centre Cardiologique du Nord de Saint Denis Paris France

Department of Cardiac Surgery Centre Hospitalier Annecy Genevois Epagny Metz Tessy France

Department of Cardiac Surgery Glenfield Hospital Leicester UK

Department of Cardiac Surgery Hôpitaux Universitaires Henri Mondor Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris Creteil France

Department of Cardiac Surgery LMU University Hospital Ludwig Maximilian University Munich Germany

Department of Cardiac Surgery Ziekenhuis Oost Limburg Genk Belgium

Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery University Hospital Muenster Muenster Germany

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery Hospital Clínic de Barcelona University of Barcelona Barcelona Spain

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery University Heart and Vascular Center Hamburg Hamburg Germany

Department of Medicine South Karelia Central Hospital University of Helsinki Lappeenranta Finland

Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery University of Franche Comte Besancon France

Division of Cardiac Surgery Cardio Thoracic and Vascular Department Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Giuliano Isontina Trieste Italy

Division of Cardiac Surgery University of Verona Medical School Verona Italy

German Centre for Cardiovascular Research Partner Site Munich Heart Alliance Munich Germany

Heart and Lung Center Helsinki University Hospital University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland

Liverpool Centre for Cardiovascular Sciences Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital Liverpool UK

National Center for Global Health Istituto Superiore di Sanitá Rome Italy

Research Unit of Surgery Anesthesia and Critical Care University of Oulu Oulu Finland

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