Elective Aortic Root Replacement in North America: Analysis of STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database

The authors analyzed the STS database for elective aortic root replacement (with several important exclusions) to derive risk factors for mortality and morbidity. A total of 8,807 patients met inclusion criteria. Significant predictors for mortality that were discovered include atrial fibrillation, body surface area, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, NYHA IV, diabetes, concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting, concomitant mitral valve surgery, and Bentall operation.