Xie X, Fu X, Zhang Y, et al. - Researchers aimed at determining how the platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), a novel inflammatory marker generally associated with increased in-hospital mortality risk, is associated with postoperative in-hospital mortality risk in patients with type A acute aortic dissection (AAAD).

• Researchers divided a total of 270 patients undergoing emergency surgery for AAAD into three PLR-based tertiles.

• Postoperative in-hospital mortality of 13.33% was recorded.

• In patients with AAAD, a U-shaped relationship was observed between PLR and in-hospital mortality; for the lowest in-hospital mortality risk, an optimal PLR range was 108–188.

• Findings suggest a possible value of PLR as a preoperative prognostic tool for predicting in-hospital mortality risk in patients with AAAD and for ensuring risk stratification and early treatment initiation.