Repair of Acute Aortic Arch Dissection with Hypothermic Circulatory Arrest and Retrograde Cerebral Perfusion

Lee, Sam Youn

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Acute thoracic aortic dissections involving the aortic arch differ in diagnosis, surgical procedures, and operative results compared to those that do not involve the aortic arch. In general cerebral perfusion under deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (HCA) is performed during the repair of the aortic arch dissection. Here, we report our surgical results of the aortic arch dissection repair using retrograde cerebral perfusion (RCP) and its safety. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Between January 1996 and June 2002, 22 consecutive patients with aortic arch dissection underwent aortic arch repair. In 20 of them RCP was performed under HCA. RCP was done through superior vena cava in 19 patients and by systemic retrograde venous perfusion in 1, in whom it was difficult to reach the SVC. When the patient's rectal temperature reached 16 to 18oC, systemic circulation was arrested, and the amount of RCP amount was 481.1+/-292.9 ml/min with perfusion pressure of 20~30 mm Hg. RESULT: There were two in-hospital deaths (4.5%) and one late death (9.1%). Mean circulatory arrest time (RCP time) was 54.0+/-13.4 minutes (range, 7 to 145 minutes). RCP time has no correlation with the appearance of consciousness, recovery of orientation, or ventilator weaning time (p=0.35, 0.86, and 0.92, respectively). Ventilator weaning was faster in patients with earlier recovery of consciousness and orientation (r=0.850, r=926; p=0.000, respectively). RCP of more than 70 minutes did not affect the appearance of consciousness, recovery of orientation, ventilator weaning time, exercise time, or hospital stay (p= 0.42, 0.57, 0.60, 0.83, and 0.51, respectively).
CONCLUSION
Retrograde cerebral perfusion time under hypothermic circulatory arrest during repair of aortic arch dissection may not affect recovery of orientation, ventilator weaning time, neurologic complications, and postoperative recovery.