From September 1991 to February 1992, nine patients presenting thoracic aorta pathologies were submitted to surgery using deep hypothermic total circulatory arrest with retrograde cerebral perfusion. Six patients were male and three female, with ages ranging from 45 to 80 years. Four had type A dissection, three had true aorta aneurysm, one had true aneurysm associated with type A dissection and one had anulusaorta ectasia associated with type B dissection. A cava-cava-femoral cardiopulmonary bypass was established with deep hypothermia and total circulatory arrest. Retrograde blood cardioplegia was used for myocardial preservation. During total circulatory arrest retrograde cerebral perfusion was made using arterial line cannulated to the superior vena cava with a flow of 250 to 300 ml/min the central venous pressure monitored at the arm ranged between 30 and 40 cmH2O. Surgical repair was achieved using bovine pericardial tube and patch associated to the biological glue. Duration of cardiopulmonary bypass ranged from 75 to 169 min, total circulatory arrest from 32 to 79 min and retrograde cerebral perfusion from 32 to 79 min. There was no mortality associated to surgery or to immediate postoperative period. There was only one late death, due to septcemia. All other patients are on follow-up. The results show that total circulatory arrest with retrograde cerebral perfusion protects the brain more effectively than conventional total circulatory arrest during surgical treatment of thoracic aorta pathologies that require total circulatory arrest.
aneurysms, aortic; cerebral protection