OBJECTIVE: To determine the safety and efficacy of early postoperative mobilization in patients who have undergone surgical repair of acute type A aortic dissection. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Heart Medical Center. SUBJECTS: Seventy-seven patients with acute type A aortic dissection were assessed. INTERVENTION: Patients were randomly allocated into: (1) the control group (usual care) (n = 38) and (2) the intervention group (early goal-directed mobilization) (n = 39). MAIN MEASURES: The primary outcome was the patient's functional status. The secondary outcomes included vital signs, serious adverse events, muscle strength, intensive care unit-acquired weakness, grip strength, duration of mechanical ventilation, length of stay, readmission rate, and health-related quality of life after 3 months. RESULTS: The vital signs of the patients were within the tolerable ranges during the entire intervention. No serious exercise-related adverse events were observed in the intervention group. The Barthel Index score (p = 0.013), Medical Research Council score (p = 0.001), grip strength (p = 0.001), and health-related quality of life (p = 0.001) were higher in the intervention group. Intensive care unit acquired weakness (p = 0.019), duration of mechanical ventilation (p = 0.002), intensive care unit stay (p = 0.002), and total length of stay (p = 0.010) were lower in the intervention group. Patients in the intervention group had a higher physical health-related quality of life (p = 0.015) at 3 months post-surgery. There was no difference in readmission rates. CONCLUSIONS: Delivery of early goal-directed mobilization in acute type A aortic dissection was safe and facilitated the recovery of daily living ability, shorter hospital stay, and improved quality of life after discharge.

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