Aortic operations accounted for about 11% of all major cardiac surgeries in the United States in 2024, up from 8.3% in 2018. In spite of this increasing frequency, surgeons have lacked a validated method to assess operative risk for ascending aorta and aortic root procedures at the bedside.
STS leveraged contemporary data from the STS National Database—more than 67,000 adult ascending aorta and aortic root procedures—to develop and publish a new risk model for aortic surgery mortality and morbidity.
Based on this model, the new Ascending Aorta & Aortic Root Surgery Risk Calculator from STS is a first-of-its-kind tool that will assist surgeons in providing personalized surgical planning and risk assessment for their patients facing complex aortic operations.
The calculator provides individualized operative risk estimates for four key procedural groups:
- Bentall procedures involving aortic valve replacement (AVR)
- Ascending aorta plus AVR
- Valve-sparing root replacement
- Isolated ascending aorta surgery
The interactive, mobile, and user-friendly calculator is available for use now to inform the heart team and patients at the bedside.
Questions? Contact the STS Research and Analytic Center.
