Original ContributionHypoalbuminemia predicts clinical outcome in patients with type B acute aortic dissection after endovascular therapy

BackgroundFew studies have reported that serum albumin (SA) levels on admission were associated with increased risk of long-term outcomes in patients with type B acute aortic dissection (AAD). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of admission levels of SA on survival among patients with type B AAD undergoing endovascular therapy (EVT).MethodsA total of 131 patients with type B AAD undergoing EVT were retrospectively enrolled and followed up for 2.1 years. They were divided into hypoalbuminemia and nonhypoalbuminemia groups. We analyzed the incidence of inhospital complications and long-term mortality. Kaplan-Meier curves and multivariable Cox regression analyses were used to investigate the associations between SA levels and survival.ResultsAmong 131 type B AAD patients, hypoalbuminemia was detected in 61 (46.6%) at admission. Compared to those without hypoalbuminemia, patients with hypoalbuminemia did not have higher inhospital complications; however, Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that they did have a significantly lower survival rate (73.8% vs 92.5%; log-rank χ2 = 9.8; P = .002). Multivariable Cox regression analysis further revealed that hypoalbuminemia was an independent predictor of long-term mortality among patients with type B AAD (hazard ratio, 4.28; 95% confidence interval, 1.36-13.47; P = .013), over 2.1 years.ConclusionsHypoalbuminemia is common in type B AAD patients and is independently associated with increased risk of long-term death. Renal dysfunction may be the main pathophysiological mechanism underlying hypoalbuminemia in patients with type B AAD.