Objective: The present study was performed to evaluate preoperative and intraoperative risk factors for prolonged intensive care unit (ICU) stay after aortic arch surgery.
Design: A retrospective study. Prolonged ICU stay was defined as >5 days (120 hours).
Setting: Cardiovascular operating rooms and the ICU.
Participants: Adults requiring aortic arch surgery with deep hypothermic circulatory arrest plus antegrade selective cerebral perfusion.
Interventions: None.
Measurements and main results: After 11 patients who underwent 1-stage total or subtotal aortic replacement were excluded, 298 patients were enrolled in the study. The average age of patients was 44.9 +/- 10.7 years with male predominance (74.8%). Sixty-one patients (20.5%) stayed longer than 5 days in the ICU. Univariate analyses found age, body mass index, New York Heart Association classification, preoperative serum creatinine, creatinine clearance, emergency, inotropes, cardiopulmonary bypass time, myocardial ischemia time, and fresh-frozen plasma transfused intraoperatively were significantly associated with prolonged ICU stay (p < 0.05). Independent risk factors for prolonged ICU stay were found to be New York Heart Association classification (class III and IV), emergency, inotropes used intraoperatively, and prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass time (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: The authors identified 4 preoperative and intraoperative risk factors for prolonged ICU stay. This is helpful to identify patients with increased risk for prolonged ICU stay, implement specific strategies, and allocate medical resources.