Temperature effects on incidence of surgery for acute type A aortic dissection in the Nordics

Abstract

We aimed to investigate a hypothesised association between daily mean temperature and the risk of surgery for acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD). For the period of 1 January 2005 until 31 December 2019, we collected daily data on mean temperatures and date of 2995 operations for ATAAD at 10 Nordic cities included in the Nordic Consortium for Acute Type A Aortic Dissection (NORCAAD) collaboration. Using a two-stage time-series approach, we investigated the association between hot and cold temperatures relative to the optimal temperature and the rate of ATAAD repair in the selected cities. The relative risks (RRs) of cold temperatures (≤−5°C) and hot temperatures (≥21°C) compared to optimal temperature were 1.47 (95% CI: 0.72–2.99) and 1.43 (95% CI: 0.67–3.08), respectively. In line with previous studies, we observed increased risk at cold and hot temperatures. However, the observed associations were not statistically significant, thus only providing weak evidence of an association.

Reply to Schäfers

“…The relation between varying acute illnesses and calendrical, geographical and meteorological phenomena has been investigated extensively lately. In addition to the current article, we have used the NORCAAD registry to investigate the relation between ATAAD and national holidays/weekends and temperature [ 2 , 3 ]. We observed that weekends and national holidays had a lower incidence of surgery for ATAAD and we found that cold (<−5°C) and warm (>21°C) temperatures seem to be associated with an increase in surgery for ATAAD.…”