INTRODUCTION: Despite the development in cardiovascular techniques such as in cardiopulmonary bypass and cerebral protection the mortality in the correlations of the diseases of the aortic arch remains high. Deep hypothermic circulatory arrest and cardiopulmonary bypass times as well as neurological lesions are the major causes of morbi-mortality. OBJECTIVE: To show some techniques and tactics that allow the complete substitution of the aortic arch without the need of total circulatory arrest and deep hypothermia, and the results obtained in 10 consecutive patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ten consecutive patients, all male, with a mean age of 48.7 years, had their aortic arch totally substituted using moderate hypothermia, selective cerebral perfusion via subclavian artery and an arch vessels anastomose performed isolatedly as the first stage. RESULTS: The mean selective cerebral perfusion time was 14.1 minutes with 39.6 minutes of myocardial ischaemia and 98.9 minutes of cardiopulmonary bypass. The mean esofagic temperature was 26.6º C (24º C to 30º C). The mean time of hospital stay was 18.4 days (8 to 40). There were no immediate or late deaths. Two patients had temporary cerebral dysfunction (confusion) and one had hemiparesis, completed recover with time. CONCLUSION: The combination of these techniques and tactics allowed an effective correction of the diseases in a wide and dry surgical field. They promoted an excellent cerebral protection without the need of deep hypothermia which decreasing substantially the postoperative complications and mortality.
Aorta, thoracic; Heart arrest, induced; Extracorporeal circulation; Hypothermia, induced; Cardiovascular surgical procedures
