Abstract
BACKGROUND: Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) first gained in popularity for repair of type B aortic dissections (TBADs) in the early 2000's. We aimed to describe patients undergoing open repair, TEVAR, and no repair and analyze factors associated with repair within 14 days of presentation in the contemporary era. METHODS: We used the MarketScan database to find patients with TBAD between 2014 and 2017. To assess factors associated with early repair, univariable, and multivariable log-binomial regression were used. RESULTS: There were 2613 patients admitted with TBAD between 2014 and 2017 across the United States, of whom 38.4% underwent repair within 14 days of admission (25.3% open repair and 13.1% TEVAR). The incidence of repair within 14 days decreased over the study period (43% of the study cohort in 2014 to 26.4% in 2017) primarily due to a decrease in open repairs from 30.8% of patients in 2014 to 12.5% in 2017. In multivariable analysis, older age, Middle Atlantic location, diabetes mellitus, insulin use, antiplatelet use, and more recent year were associated with lower likelihood of early repair; male sex, peripheral vascular disease, and the presence of extremity ischemia, rupture, shock, and acidosis were associated with higher likelihood of repair. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, repair of TBAD within 14 days of presentation declined from 2014 to 2017, with a steady rate of TEVAR but declining rate of open repairs. Further investigation into provider- and hospital-specific factors as they relate to likelihood of repair is needed.