Background: Initial clinical evaluation (ICE) is traditionally considered a useful screening tool to identify frail patients during the pre-operative assessment. However, emerging evidence supports the more objective assessment of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) via cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) to improve surgical risk stratification. Herein, we compared both subjective and objective assessment approaches to highlight the interpretive idiosyncrasies. Methods: As part of routine pre-operative patient contact, patients scheduled for major surgery were prospectively ‘eyeballed’ (ICE) by two experienced clinicians prior to more detailed history taking that also included American Society of Anaesthesiologists score classification. Each patient was subjectively judged to be either ‘frail’ or ‘not frail’ by ICE and ‘fit’ or ‘unfit’ from thorough review of the medical notes. Subjective data were compared against the more objective validated assessment of post-operative outcomes using established CPET ‘cut-off’ metrics incorporating peak pulmonary oxygen uptake ( V̇O 2PEAK), V̇O 2 at the anaerobic threshold ( V̇O 2-AT) and ventilatory equivalent for carbon dioxide that collectively informed risk stratification. These data were retrospectively extracted from a single-centre prospective National Health Service database. Data were analysed using the Chi-square automatic interaction detection decision tree method. Results: A total of 127 patients examined that comprised 58 % male and 42 % female patients aged 69 ± 10 y with a BMI of 29 ± 7 kg/m 2. Patients were poorly conditioned with a peak pulmonary oxygen uptake almost 20 % lower than that predicted for age, sex-matched healthy controls with 35 % exhibiting a V̇O 2-AT <11 mL/kg/min. Disagreement existed between the subjective assessments of risk with ~34 % of patients classified not frail on ICE were considered unfit by notes review ( P < 0.0001). Furthermore, ~35 % of patients considered not frail on ICE and ~31 % of patients considered fit by notes review exhibited a V̇O 2-AT <11 mL/kg/min and of these, ~28 % and ~19 % were classified as intermediate-to-high risk. Conclusions: These findings highlight the interpretive limitations associated with the subjective assessment of patient frailty with surgical risk classification underestimated in up to a third of patients compared to the validated assessment of CRF. They reinforce the benefits of a more objective and integrated approach offered by CPET that may help improve perioperative risk assessment and better direct critical care provision in patients scheduled for ‘high-stakes’ surgery including open TAAA repair.

Type B Aortic Dissection (TBAD) occurs seldomly in pregnancy, but has disastrous consequences for both mother and fetus. The focus of immediate surgical repair of Type A Aortic Dissection due to higher mortality of patients is less clear in its counterpart, TBAD, in which management is controversial and debated. Risk factors for TBAD include: aortic wall stress due to hypertension, previous cardiac surgery, structural abnormalities (bicuspid aortic valve, aortic coarctation), and connective tissue disorders. In pregnancy, pre-eclampsia is a cause of increased aortic wall stress. Management of this condition is often conservative, but this is dependent on a number of factors, including gestation, cardiovascular stability of the patient, and symptomology. In most cases, a Caesarean section prior to intervention is carried out, unless certain indications are present. Due to a scarce number of cases across decades, it is difficult to determine which management is optimal. This article collates knowledge so far on this rare event during pregnancy.

Type A acute aortic dissection (TAAD) during pregnancy is a life-threatening event for both the mother and unborn baby. Pregnancy has been recognised as an independent risk factor for TAAD, postulated to be due to physiological changes that cause hyperdynamic circulation. Presentation can be atypical in many cases and further concern from clinicians of fetal radiation exposure can result in missed or delayed diagnoses. Investigation via quickest form of imaging, whether CT, MRI or transoesophageal echocardiography, should be carried out promptly due to the high risk of mortality. Surgical management of TAAD in pregnancy revolves primarily around the decision to deliver the foetus concomitantly or to perform aortic repair with the foetus in utero. This review will summarise the difficulties faced when managing TAAD in pregnancy, and important questions for future research.