We conducted a detailed analysis of different hypothermic circulatory arrest techniques, from its evolution, application on aortic arch surgery and research, focusing on the application and advantages and disadvantage, which provides some guide for the future discussion on the optimal temperature of hypothermic circulatory arrest.
Objective To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of modified total arch replacement by retrospectively analyzing the clinical outcome of surgical patients with Stanford type A aortic dissection (AAD). Methods From June 2015 to December 2016, 39 consecutive patients with AAD were recruited to this study. This modified technique was preformed under general anesthesia and a 30℃ hypothermia circulatory arrest (HCA) with continual bilateral antegrade cerebral perfusion. Different surgical approaches were applied according to the aortic root condition: Bentall procedure (4 patients), David procedure (2 patients), aortic valve plasty and ascending aortic replacement (25 patients) and Cabrol procedure (8 patients). Concomitant procedures included mitral valve plasty (1 patient) and tricuspid valve plasty (1 patient). Results The average cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), aortic occlusion time (ACC), HCA and operation time was 218.5±42.2 min, 134.2±32.4 min, 4.9±2.3 min and 415.5±80.5 min respectively. Four patients required dialysis and 2 patients developed temporary neurological deficit. No permanent neurological deficit, postoperative paraplegia or in-hospital death occurred. Computed tomography examination was performed on all patients before discharge and 3 months after discharge. The follow-up result showed that 37 patients developed complete thrombosis in the false lumen and 2 patients developed partial thrombosis. Conclusion Modified total arch replacement is a safe and effective approach for AAD. It can greatly avoid postoperative complications and provide satisfactory short-term outcomes.
ObjectiveTo evaluate whether long frozen elephant trunk (FET) increases the risk of spinal cord injury in patients with acute type A aortic dissection.MethodsFrom 2018 to 2019, 172 patients with acute type A aortic dissection were treated in Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital. They were divided into two groups according to the length of FET: patients treated with stents of 100 mm in length were enrolled into a short FET group, and those with stents of 150 mm in length into a long FET group. There were 124 patients in the short FET group, including 108 (87.1%) males and 16 (12.9%) females with a mean age of 51.8±7.9 years. There were 48 patients in the long FET group, including 44 (91.7%) males and 4 (8.3%) females with a mean age of 50.6±9.7 years. The clinical data and prognosis of the patients were analyzed.ResultsThe mean distal stent graft was at the level of T 8.5±0.7 in the long FET group, and at the level of T 6.8±0.6 in the short FET group (P=0.001). Sixteen patients died after operation in the two groups, including 13 (10.5%) in the short FET group and 3 (6.2%) in the long FET group (P=0.561). There were 7 patients of spinal cord injury in the two groups, including 6 (4.8%) in the short FET group and 1 (2.2%) in the long FET group (P=0.675). There was no statistical difference in other complications between the two groups. The follow-up time was 16.7 (1-30) months. During the follow-up, 2 patients died in the long FET group and 5 died in the short FET group. No new spinal cord injury or distal reintervention occurred during the follow-up.ConclusionLong FET does not increase the incidence of spinal cord injury in patients with acute type A aortic dissection.