Background: In clinical and basic science medicine, we often isolate ourselves in silos, unaware of developments in other related disciplines. Our team has had substantial experience, both in the operating room and in...Background: In clinical and basic science medicine, we often isolate ourselves in silos, unaware of developments in other related disciplines. Our team has had substantial experience, both in the operating room and in the laboratory, with protecting the brain and the spinal cord via hypothermia. Herein, we briefly share this experience with our colleagues in Neurology, eager for comments and advice from the neurologic perspective. Methods: 1) Clinical brain protection via deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA) for surgery of the aortic arch. For aortic arch replacement (performed for aortic arch aneurysm or aortic dissection), the aortic arch must be opened and native perfusion stopped. We have decades of experience in many hundreds of patients with this technique. This experience is reviewed. 2) Experimental protection of the spinal cord via cooling. We review our laboratory experience with a novel, recirculating cooling catheter for the vulnerable spinal cord. 3) Experimental protection of the brain via an intraventricular cooling catheter. We review our laboratory experience cooling the brain with a balloon-tipped catheter residing the lateral ventricles. Results: 1) Deep hypothermic circulatory arrest for aortic arch surgery provides superb brain protection for periods up to 45 minutes or longer. Clinical neurologic function, and quantitative neurologic tests, show excellent brain preservation. 2) The novel spinal cooling catheter provides excellent cooling of the spinal cord in a large animal model, without apparent injury of any type. 3) The intraventricular brain cooling catheter provides excellent cooling of the brain, documented by both direct temperature probe and high-tech brain imaging. Conclusions: We wish herein (in this article) to share this experience across our disciplines (Cardiac Surgery and Neurology). We welcome advice from the Neurology community on these surgically-directed methods for cooling and protection of neurological tissue in both the brain and the spinal cord.展开更多
Background: Acute myocardial ischemia, seen in about 2% of aortic root replacements (ARR), is acutely life-threatening, manifesting as failure to wean from bypass, ventricular fibrillation, or unstable hemodynamics. T...Background: Acute myocardial ischemia, seen in about 2% of aortic root replacements (ARR), is acutely life-threatening, manifesting as failure to wean from bypass, ventricular fibrillation, or unstable hemodynamics. The exact precipitating anatomic cause is usually not apparent at the time of surgery. In this report, we take advantage of late computed tomographic (CT) angiograms of long-term survivors of peri-operative ischemia after ARR to determine what abnormalities of the coronary button reattachments produced the peri-operative ischemia. Methods: The database of the Aortic Institute at Yale-New Haven was reviewed to identify all patients undergoing ARR over a 15-year period. Operative records, patient charts, and CT angiograms of patients who had peri-operative ischemia were reviewed in detail, including analysis by an imaging specialist. Results: 271 patients underwent ARR, 220 with mechanical and 51 with biological valved conduits. Hospital mortality was 2.95%. Clinical follow-up ranged from 1 to 182 months. Survival in discharged patients was 97.7% at 5 years and 95.2% at 7 years. Peri-operative ischemia was seen in 4 of 271 patients (1.5%). All four affected patients survived—with interventions including supplemental coronary bypass grafts (4 patients), intra-aortic balloon pump placement (2 patients), and left ventricular assist device insertion (1 patient). Late CT angiograms revealed severe but non-obstructive left main calcification serving as a focal point for coronary angulation in 2 patients, angulation without calcification in 1 patient, and totally normal anatomy in 1 patient. Conclusions: Myo- cardial ischemia after ARR is rare but acutely life-threatening. Prompt recognition and treatment by supplemental coronary artery bypass grafting preserves life and leads to good late survival. Intramural calcification (non-obstructive) of the distal left main coronary artery predisposes to angulation after coronary button creation and should be a “red flag” for this potential problem.展开更多
文摘Background: In clinical and basic science medicine, we often isolate ourselves in silos, unaware of developments in other related disciplines. Our team has had substantial experience, both in the operating room and in the laboratory, with protecting the brain and the spinal cord via hypothermia. Herein, we briefly share this experience with our colleagues in Neurology, eager for comments and advice from the neurologic perspective. Methods: 1) Clinical brain protection via deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA) for surgery of the aortic arch. For aortic arch replacement (performed for aortic arch aneurysm or aortic dissection), the aortic arch must be opened and native perfusion stopped. We have decades of experience in many hundreds of patients with this technique. This experience is reviewed. 2) Experimental protection of the spinal cord via cooling. We review our laboratory experience with a novel, recirculating cooling catheter for the vulnerable spinal cord. 3) Experimental protection of the brain via an intraventricular cooling catheter. We review our laboratory experience cooling the brain with a balloon-tipped catheter residing the lateral ventricles. Results: 1) Deep hypothermic circulatory arrest for aortic arch surgery provides superb brain protection for periods up to 45 minutes or longer. Clinical neurologic function, and quantitative neurologic tests, show excellent brain preservation. 2) The novel spinal cooling catheter provides excellent cooling of the spinal cord in a large animal model, without apparent injury of any type. 3) The intraventricular brain cooling catheter provides excellent cooling of the brain, documented by both direct temperature probe and high-tech brain imaging. Conclusions: We wish herein (in this article) to share this experience across our disciplines (Cardiac Surgery and Neurology). We welcome advice from the Neurology community on these surgically-directed methods for cooling and protection of neurological tissue in both the brain and the spinal cord.
文摘Background: Acute myocardial ischemia, seen in about 2% of aortic root replacements (ARR), is acutely life-threatening, manifesting as failure to wean from bypass, ventricular fibrillation, or unstable hemodynamics. The exact precipitating anatomic cause is usually not apparent at the time of surgery. In this report, we take advantage of late computed tomographic (CT) angiograms of long-term survivors of peri-operative ischemia after ARR to determine what abnormalities of the coronary button reattachments produced the peri-operative ischemia. Methods: The database of the Aortic Institute at Yale-New Haven was reviewed to identify all patients undergoing ARR over a 15-year period. Operative records, patient charts, and CT angiograms of patients who had peri-operative ischemia were reviewed in detail, including analysis by an imaging specialist. Results: 271 patients underwent ARR, 220 with mechanical and 51 with biological valved conduits. Hospital mortality was 2.95%. Clinical follow-up ranged from 1 to 182 months. Survival in discharged patients was 97.7% at 5 years and 95.2% at 7 years. Peri-operative ischemia was seen in 4 of 271 patients (1.5%). All four affected patients survived—with interventions including supplemental coronary bypass grafts (4 patients), intra-aortic balloon pump placement (2 patients), and left ventricular assist device insertion (1 patient). Late CT angiograms revealed severe but non-obstructive left main calcification serving as a focal point for coronary angulation in 2 patients, angulation without calcification in 1 patient, and totally normal anatomy in 1 patient. Conclusions: Myo- cardial ischemia after ARR is rare but acutely life-threatening. Prompt recognition and treatment by supplemental coronary artery bypass grafting preserves life and leads to good late survival. Intramural calcification (non-obstructive) of the distal left main coronary artery predisposes to angulation after coronary button creation and should be a “red flag” for this potential problem.
