Objective To determine risk factors of delayed recovery of consciousness after aortic arch surgery underdeep hypothermic circulatory arrest （DHCA） and antegrade selective cerebral perfusion （ASCP）. Methods We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 113 patients who underwent aortic arch surgery under DHCA＋ASCP in the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital， Medical School of Nanjing University from October 2004 to April 2012. According to whether they regained consciousness within 24 hours after surgery， all the 113 patients were divided into normal group （73 patients including 55 males and 18 females with their average age of 48.1±10.9 years） and delayed recovery group （40 patients including 29 males and 11 females with their average age of 52.2±11.4 years）. Risk factors of delayed recovery of consciousness after surgery were evaluated by univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results Nine patients （8.0%） died postoperatively， including 5 patients with multi-organ failure， 2 patients with heart failure， 1 patient with mediastinal infection， and 1 patient with pulmonary hemorrhage. There were 7 deaths （17.5%） in the delayed recovery group and 2 deaths （2.7%） in the normal group， and the in-hospital mortality of the delayed recovery group was significantly higher than that of the normal group （P=0.016）. A total of 94 patients （including 65 patients in the normal group and 29 patients in the delayed recovery group） were followed up for 4-95 months. Eight patients （including 5 patients in the normal group and 3 patients in the delayed recovery group） died during follow-up， including 2 patients with stroke， 3 patients with heart failure， 2 patients with pulmonary hemorrhage and 1 patient with unknown cause. Ten patients were lost during follow-up. Univariate analysis showed that age （P=0.042）， hypertension （P=0.017）， emergency surgery （P=0.001）， cardiopu- lmonary bypass （CPB） time （P=0.007）， aortic cross-clamp time （P=0.021）， and blood transfusion（P=0.012）were risk factors of delayed recovery of consciousness after aortic arch surgery. Multivariate logistic regression showed that emergency surgery （P=0.005） and CPB time＞240 minutes （P=0.000） were independent risk factors of delayed recovery of consciousness after aortic arch surgery. Conclusion Delayed recovery of consciousness after aortic arch surgery is attributed to a combination of many risk factors. Correct patient diagnosis， lesion site and involved scope should be made clear preoperatively in order to choose appropriate surgical strategies. During the surgery， strengthened brain protection， shortened operation time， improved surgical techniques， and perioperative stable circulation maintenance are all important measures to prevent delayed recovery of consciousness after aortic arch surgery.
Abstract： Objective To investigate the cerebral protective effects of hyperoxia management during deep hypothermia circulatory arrest（DHCA） rabbit by the blood gas indexes, superoxide dismutase（ SOD） activity and malondialdehyde （MDA） levels of brain, and ratio of water to brain. Methods A DHCA and antegrade selective cerebral perfusion （ASCP） rabbit model was established. Twenty-four 11-13 week-old male New Zealand rabbits（ weighing 2.7 to 3.4 kg） were assigned to three groups with a random number table: a sham operation group （Sham group）, an ASCP group （S group）, and an ASCP ＋ hyperoxia management group （SH group）. There were eight rabbits in each group. We recorded the intraoperative values for arterial oxygen pressure （PaO2）, arterial oxygen saturation （SaO2）, jugular venous oxygen pressure（PjvO2）, jugular venous oxygen saturation（ SjvO2） and blood lactate level. The brain SOD activity, MDA levels, and ratio of water to brain were measured after the operation. Results Before initiating circulatory arrest, before initiating reperfusion and five minutes of reperfusion, levels of PaO2 , PjvO2 , and SjvO2 in the SH group were significantly higher than those of the S group and Sham group. SOD activity in the SH group was not significantly different from that of the S group[（213.53±33.52） U/mg. prot vs. （193.02±27.67） U/mg. prot] and Sham group[（213.53±33.52） U/mg. prot vs.（244.38±35.02）U/mg. prot], but the SOD activity in the S group was lower than that in the Sham group（ P ＜ 0.05）. MDA levels in the SH group were lower than that in the S group[（1.42±0.30） nmol/mg. prot vs. （2.37±0.55） nmol/mg. prot, P ＜ 0.05]. Conclusion Our data show that hyperoxia management during DHCA＋ASCP improves rabbits’PjvO2 and SjvO2, maintains brain SOD activity, and decreases brain MDA levels, demonstrating the neuroprotective effects of hyperoxia mangagement.
Objective To summarize the methods and experiences of surgical treatment of aortic arch diseases with four branches aortic graft under deep hypothermia circulatory arrest （DHCA） and antegrade selective cerebral perfusion （ASCP）. Methods In 2004 from September to December, surgical treatment of 12 patients with 7 aortic aneurysm（4 cases with ascending aorta and aortic arch aneurysm, 3 cases with aneurysm of aortic isthmus） and 5 aortic dissection（DeBakey Ⅰ 1 case, DeBakey Ⅱ 3 cases, DeBakey Ⅲ 1 case） were collected in Gunma Prefectural Cardiovascular Center. All operations were carried out under DHCA and ASCP, and four branches aortic graft were used to replace the aortic arch. The Bentall procedure, total and partial arch replacement and elephant trunk technique were undertaken in different patients. Results Total 12 patients recovered from the great vessel diseases smoothly without severe cerebral and other systematic complications, the time of operation was 5.5±1.7 h, the period of DHCA was 42.2±12.9min, 4 cases with no blood transfusion, the time of hospitalization was 22.3±7.2d. Conclusion ASCP is a safe. and effective method of cerebral protection during circulation arrest, and four branches aortic graft may shorten the time of DHCA and simplify the procedure of aortic arch replacement.