Abstract
Background Acute Stanford type A aortic dissection is a lethal event with a high mortality rate and requires emergency intervention. The goal of salvage surgery is to keep the patient alive by addressing the problems of severe aortic regurgitation, tamponade, primary tear and malperfusion of organs,and, if possible, to prevent the late dissection-related complications in the proximal and downstream aorta. No standard treatment or techniques have been determined for this disease. We aim to describe a modified elephant trunk technique for acute type A aortic dissection and report the short-term outcomes of this surgical technique. Methods From February 2018 to August 2019, 16 patients who were diagnosed with acute Stanford type A aortic dissection underwent surgery with the modified frozen elephant trunk technique procedure at Xiamen Heart Centre (9men; age, 59.21±11.67 years). All perioperative variables were recorded and analyzed. We measured the diameters of the ascending aorta, aortic arch and descending aorta on the bifurcation of the pulmonary and abdominal aortas and compared the diameters at admission, before discharge, and 3 months after discharge. Results Fifteen patients (93.8%)had hypertension and poor blood control management. Operative mortality was 6.25%. The primary tears were located in the lesser curve of the aortic arch in 5 patients (31.3%), in the ascending aorta in 9 patients (56.3%), and no entry was found in 2 patients (12.5%). The dissection extended to the iliac artery in 14 patients (87.6%) and to the distal descending aorta in 2 patients (12.5%). The time of cardiopulmonary bypass(CPB),cross-clamping and cerebral perfusion were 215± 40.5,140.8±32.3, and 23±6 minutes, respectively. Aortic valve plasty was performed in 15 patients (93.8%). Additionally, the Bentall procedure and coronary artery repair were performed in 1 patient each (6.3%), respectively. The diameters at all levels were greater before discharge than those when on admission to the hospital, except for the diameter of the aortic arch. After 3 months, the diameters at the aortic arch, descending aorta of the diaphragm, bifurcation of the pulmonary artery had increased, but the diameter at the bifurcation level of the common iliac artery had changed little. Only the diameter of the distal stent aorta had increased significantly. Conclusion The modified frozen elephant trunk technique for acute Stanford type A aortic dissection is safe and feasible, and it could be used for organ malperfusion as well. Short-term outcomes are encouraging, but long-term outcomes require further investigation.
Is the frozen elephant trunk technique justified for chronic type A aortic dissection in Marfan syndrome?
