Use of extracorporeal bypass is associated with improved outcomes in open thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair

Although important clinical variables such as DTA or TAA aneurysm extent and spinal cord ischemic complications cannot be assessed with the Medicare database, EC use during open DTA and TAA aneurysm repair is associated with improved late survival and a significant reduction in operative mortality, morbidity, and procedural costs. These data indicate that EC should be a more widely applied adjunct in open DTA or TAA aneurysm repair.