Use of coagulation-fibrinolysis markers for prognostication of Stanford type A acute aortic dissection

PURPOSE: Coagulation-fibrinolysis markers are widely used for the diagnosis of Stanford type A acute aortic dissection (SAAAD). However, the role of these markers in estimating prognosis remains unclear. METHODS: A single-center retrospective study was conducted to identify the relationship between preoperative D-dimer and fibrinogen levels on SAAAD postoperative early prognosis. RESULTS: Of 238 SAAAD patients who underwent surgery between January 2012 and December 2018, 201 (84.5%) and 37 (15.5%) patients constituted the survival and non-survival groups, respectively, 30 days after surgery. D-dimer and fibrinogen levels in the survival and non-survival groups were 45.2 ± 74.3 vs. 91.5 ± 103.6 μg/mL (p = 0.014) and 224.3 ± 95.6 vs. 179.9 ± 96.7 μg/mL (p = 0.012), respectively. According to logistic predictor analysis of 30-day mortality, significant factors showed patent type (OR 10.89, 95% CI 1.66–20.31) and malperfusion (OR 4.63, 95% CI 1.74–12.32). Increasing D-dimer (per +10 μg/mL) and decreasing fibrinogen (per −10 μg/mL) were significantly associated with patent type and malperfusion. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed to distinguish between survival and non-survival. The cutoff value of D-dimer was 60 μg/mL (sensitivity 61.1%; specificity 82.5%; area under curve [AUC] 0.713 ± 0.083); fibrinogen was 150 mg/dL (sensitivity 44.4%; specificity 84.0%; AUC 0.647 ± 0.092). Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis showed that patients with D-dimer levels > 60 μg/mL and fibrinogen levels < 150 mg/dL had significantly low survival rates at 30 days after surgery (60.0%, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Preoperative coagulation-fibrinolysis markers may be useful for predicting early prognosis in SAAAD.