From January 1989 through June 1996, 29 patients underwent surgical repair of type A acute aortic dissection. Mean age was 59 +/- 13.5 years (range 25-76 yrs) and 21 patients (72.4%) were male. Nineteen patients (65.5%) had systemic hypertension and 3 (10.3%) Marfan syndrome. One patient (3.4%) had prior surgical repair of descending aortic dissection and CABG. Six patients (20.7%) were operated on in shock. The dissection was limited to the ascending aorta (DeBakey type II) in 12 patients (41.4%). Eleven patients (37.9%) had severe aortic regurgitation. Replacement of the ascending aorta was performed in all cases and extended to include the transverse arch in one. Twenty-three patients (79.3%) were operated upon using a tubular graft (sacron-21, homograft-2) with aortic valve resuspension. In the remaining 6 (20.7%) the aortic valve and root were replaced using a Bentall procedure, modified with a homograft in 3 cases. Five patients (17.2%) had associated surgery: CABG (4) and closure of aortic-atrial fistula (1). Mean cardiopulmonary bypass time was 134 minutes (range 70 to 285 min) and aortic cross-clamp time was 58 minutes (range 23 to 93 min). Hypothermic circulatory arrest for open distal anastomosis was used in 26 patients (89.7%) (mean time 22 min; range 10 to 32 min), with retrograde cerebral perfusion in the last 4 years (18 cases; 62.1%). Hospital mortality was 17.2% (5 patients). Eight patients (27.6%) had hospital morbidity: reexploration for bleeding (4 cases), CVA (3), A-V block necessitating permanent pacemaker (1). The mean time of hospitalization was 18 days (range 9 to 81 days). In the follow-up period (mean 38 mths; range 4 to 94 mths), 2 patients died (CVA and gastrointestinal bleeding) and 4 required hospitalization (perforated duodenal ulcer, peritonitis, suspected endocarditis, supraventricular tachyarrhythmia-1 patient each). All 22 survivors (75.9%) returned to the functional status they had prior to the dissection and 18 of them (81.8%) are in NYHA functional class I. Type A acute aortic dissection is a complex pathology and the postoperative mortality remains significant, but surgery permits good functional recovery and an active life for the survivors.