Zindovic I, et al. - In this retrospective, observational study conducted at cardiothoracic surgery unit at a tertiary-level hospital, researchers assessed the efficacy of perioperative arterial lactic acid measurements as predictor of outcome in patients undergoing surgery for acute type-A aortic dissection (aTAAD). A significant association of preoperative cardiac malperfusion and cerebral malperfusion with poorer 1-year survival was demonstrated. An increased risk of postoperative mortality was indicated by hyperlactemia but still poor discriminatory performance led to the inference that the sole use of lactic acid levels as a tool for accurate assessment of postoperative mortality is inadvisable.