Mortality after acute aortic syndrome (AAS) has remained high over the last decade, according to a national population-based study. A total of 1295 patients presenting to hospital with an index admission of AAS (61% type A and 38% type B) between 2010 and 2020 were retrospectively assessed. Hospital records were supplemented by information from the National Mortality Collection and the Australasian Vascular Audit. Between 2010 and 2018, 290 patients died out of hospital. The overall incidence of aortic dissection, including out-of-hospital cases, was 3.13 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.96-3.30) per 100 000 person-years, and this increased by an average of 3% (95% CI 1-6%) per year after adjustment for age and sex, driven by increasing type A cases. Age standardised disease rates were higher in men, and in Māori and Pacific populations. Overall rates of 30-day mortality were 31.9% in patients with type A disease and 9.7% in those with type B disease, and did not change significantly over the study period. Management strategies also remained constant over time. The study authors noted that work is needed to reduce ethnic disparities in rates of AAS.
