A Simplified Delivery Frozen Elephant Trunk (SD-FET) Technique to Reduce
Circulatory Arrest Time in Hybrid Aortic Arch Surgery
Abstract
A simplified delivery technique for the frozen elephant trunk procedure
allows the distal suture to be performed on a perfused and loaded aorta
in moderate hypothermia—or even normothermia—reducing circulatory
arrest time to just a few minutes. Two surgical sealing tourniquets are
placed around the aortic arch, usually between the brachiocephalic trunk
(BCT) and the left common carotid artery and the aorta is cross-clamped
and cardioplegia started. Once in mild hypothermia, the BCT is
disconnected and circulatory arrest is initiated while cerebral
perfusion is maintained. This modified technique can be used in all
pathologies, including dissections.