Roy Sheinbaum

Cerebrospinal fluid drainage and distal aortic perfusion: Reducing neurologic complications in repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm types I and II

PURPOSE This study was conducted to evaluate the role of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainage and distal aortic perfusion (DAP) in the prevention of postoperative neurologic complications for high-risk patients who had undergone type I and type II thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA) repair. METHODS CSF drainage and DAP were used as an adjunct in the treatment of 94 patients with TAAA (31 type I, 63 type II) between September 1992 and December 1994; 67 were men and 27 were women. The median age was 64 years (range, 28 to 88 years). Aortic dissection occurred in 35 of 94 patients (37%). Thirty-six of 94 patients (38%) had previously undergone proximal aortic surgery. All patients underwent intraoperative DAP and perioperative CSF drainage. Median aortic cross-clamp time was 67 minutes (range, 20 to 131 minutes). RESULTS The 30-day survival rate was 90% (85 of 94 patients). Early neurologic complications occurred in 5 of 94 patients (5%), and late neurologic complications occurred in 3 of 94 patients (3%). We compared the neurologic complications of our current group of 94 patients with the data from 42 patients (control group) who also underwent repair of TAAA type I and type II with only simple cross-clamp and without CSF drainage or DAP. Both groups were treated by the senior author (HJS) at the same institution. Total neurologic complications for the current group occurred in 8 of 94 patients (9%) versus 8 of 42 patients (19%) for the control group (p=0.090). Neurologic complications for patients with type II TAAA occurred in 8 of 63 patients (13%) versus 17 of 42 patients (41%) (p=0.014). For all patients with aortic clamp times >or=45 minutes, neurologic complications occurred in 7 of 55 (13%) versus 7 of 18 (39%) (p=0.033). CONCLUSION The period of risk during aortic cross-clamp time is reduced with the adjuncts of CSF drainage and DAP, which significantly lower the incidence of neurologic complications after repair of TAAA types I and II.

Neurologic deficit in patients at high risk with thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms: The role of cerebral spinal fluid drainage and distal aortic perfusion

PURPOSE This prospective study evaluated the possible prevention of postoperative neurologic deficit in patients at high risk with thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAA), types I and II, by use of perioperative cerebrospinal fluid drainage and distal aortic perfusion. METHODS Between September 18, 1992, and August 8, 1993, 45 consecutive patients underwent TAAA repair (14 type I, 31 type II). Thirty-six were men and nine were women. The median age was 63 years (range 28 to 88). Twenty-four of 45 patients (53%) had dissection and 17 of 45 (38%) had prior proximal aortic replacement. All patients underwent perioperative cerebrospinal fluid drainage and distal aortic perfusion. Median aortic clamping time was 42 minutes. Thirty-five of 45 patients (78%) underwent intercostal artery reattachment. RESULTS The 30-day survival rate was 96% (43 of 45 patients). Early neurologic deficit occurred in two of 45 patients (4%), and late neurologic deficit also occurred in two of 45 patients (4%). We compared the neurologic deficit of our current group of 45 patients with the data of a previously unpublished study of 112 patients also from this center. Total neurologic deficit for the current group was four of 45 (9%) versus the previous group of 35 of 112 (31%) with a p value of 0.0034 (Pearson chi-square test). Neurologic deficit for patients with type I TAAA was 0 of 14 (0%) versus 15 of 73 (21%) (p = 0.062); for patients with type II TAAA 4 of 31 (13%) versus 20 of 39 (51%) (p = 0.0008). In patients with aortic dissection, neurologic deficit was 3 of 24 (12%) versus 9 of 32 (28%) (p = 0.0304); no dissection was 1 of 21 (5%) versus 26 of 80 (32%) (p = 0.011). For aortic clamp times less than 45 minutes, neurologic deficit was 1 of 24 (4%) versus 14 of 68 (21%) (p = 0.061); for aortic clamp times equal to or greater than 45 minutes, neurologic deficit was 3 of 21 (14%) versus 21 of 44 (48%) (p = 0.0090). CONCLUSION Neurologic deficit in patients treated for types I and II TAAA was reduced significantly by perioperative cerebral spinal fluid drainage and distal aortic perfusion.

Cerebrospinal Fluid Drainage During Thoracic Aortic Repair: Safety and Current Management

BACKGROUND The benefit of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainage during thoracic aortic repair has been established. Few studies, however, report management and safety of CSF drainage. METHODS Between September 1992 and August 2007, 1,353 repairs of the thoracic aorta were performed, with 82% using CSF drainage. The CSF drainage was not used in cases of rupture, acute trauma, infection, or prior paraplegia. Thirty-one percent (76 of 246) of patients without CSF drainage were repaired prior to standardized use. All drains were inserted by cardiovascular anesthesia staff. Repairs were performed using distal aortic perfusion with heparinization. Early management involved free drainage to maintain CSF pressure less than 10 mm Hg, but was later modified to limit CSF drainage unless neurologic deficit occurred. RESULTS Cerebrospinal fluid drainage was technically achieved in 99.8% (1,105 of 1,107) of cases. The CSF catheter-related complications occurred in 1.5% (17 of 1,107) of patients. No spinal hematomas were observed. The CSF leaks with spinal headache, CSF leak without spinal headache, spinal headache, intracranial hemorrhage, catheter fracture, and meningitis occurred in 6 (0.54%), 1 (0.1%), 2 (0.2%), 5 (0.45%), 1 (0.1%), and 2 (0.2%) cases, respectively. Mortality from subdural hematoma was 40% (2 of 5), and from meningitis was 50% (1 of 2). Spinal headaches resolved with conservative management. All CSF leaks resolved, but 71% (5/7) required blood patches. Since implementation of a limited CSF drainage protocol, no subdural hematomas have been observed. CONCLUSIONS Cerebrospinal fluid drainage for thoracic aortic repairs can be performed safely with excellent technical success. Perioperative management of CSF drains requires diligent monitoring and judicious drainage. Standardizing CSF management may be beneficial.

Preoperative and operative predictors of delayed neurologic deficit following repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm

Abstract Purpose Delayed neurologic deficit has been recognized in recent years as a source of morbidity following thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic repair. We wanted to find risk factors specifically significant for delayed neurologic deficit. In this initial study we looked at preoperative and operative risk factors. Methods We performed 854 thoracoabdominal aortic repairs between February 1991 and May 2001. For this study we excluded 26 patients who died before postoperative neurologic status could be evaluated and 38 who had immediate neurologic deficit on initial postoperative evaluation, leaving 790 consecutive patients. We evaluated a wide range of demographic, preoperative physiological and intraoperative data, using univariate and multivariable statistical analyses. Results Twenty-one of 790 (2.7%) patients had delayed neurologic deficit. Significant univariate predictors included preoperative renal dysfunction (odds ratio 5.9; P P P P Conclusion Preoperative renal dysfunction, acute dissection, and extent II thoracoabdominal aorta are significant predictors of delayed neurologic deficit. Previous studies have demonstrated that the use of adjuncts protects against immediate neurologic deficit. The findings of this study are consistent with the hypothesis that adjuncts reduce ischemic insult enough to prevent immediate neurologic deficit but that a period of increased spinal cord vulnerability persists several days postoperatively.

Analysis of motor and somatosensory evoked potentials during thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

OBJECTIVES Use of motor evoked potentials (MEP) and somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP) monitoring during thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic surgery is controversial. This study evaluated the intraoperative use of SSEP and MEP during thoracoabdominal repair and assessed their role in decreasing the risk of spinal cord ischemia and paralysis. METHODS We conducted paired SSEP and MEP monitoring to assess agreement between the methods and their ability to predict neurologic outcome in 233 patients. Changes in SSEP and MEP monitoring were classified as no change, reversible change, or irreversible change during the intraoperative period and by the conclusion of surgery. Agreement between the methods was computed using the Cohen kappa statistic. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were computed for each method on the immediate and delayed neurologic deficit. RESULTS Immediate neurologic deficit, determined immediately upon awakening from anesthesia and confirmed by a neurologist, occurred in eight of 233 (3.4%) patients. For any change (reversible plus irreversible), agreement between MEP and SSEP was relatively low (kappa = 0.53), despite being highly statistically significant (P < .001). MEP tended to overestimate SSEP for immediate neurologic deficit, demonstrating a 53% false-positive rate, compared with a 33% false-positive rate for SSEP (specificity ratio, 1.42; P < .0001). With irreversible change, agreement between the methods was 90% (kappa = 0.896, P < .0001). Only irreversible change was significantly associated with neurologic outcome (odds ratio, 21.9; P < .00001 for SSEP; 60.8, P < .0001 for MEP), but sensitivity and positive predictive values were low (37% and 33% for SSEP; 22% and 45% for MEP, respectively). Reversible changes in neurophysiologic monitoring were not significantly associated with immediate neurologic deficit. Negative predictive values for all negative evoked potential findings were >98% for immediate deficit. No evoked potential variables were associated with delayed deficit. CONCLUSIONS SSEP and MEP monitoring were highly correlated only when intraoperative changes were irreversible. Reversible changes were not significantly associated with immediate neurologic deficit. Irreversible changes were significantly associated with immediate neurologic deficit, and the findings were identical for SSEP and MEP in this variable, indicating that the more complex MEP measures do not add further information to that obtained from SSEP. Normal SSEP and MEP findings had a strong negative predictive value, indicating that patients without signal loss are unlikely to awake with neurologic deficit.

Staged repair of extensive aortic aneurysms: long-term experience with the elephant trunk technique.

Objective:This paper reports our experience of a large series of elephant trunk patients accumulated over 12 years. Summary Background Data:Extensive aneurysms of the ascending/arch and descending thoracic or thoracoabdominal aorta are significant surgical problems that have potential for great morbidity. We adopted a staged approach known as the elephant trunk procedure in 1991, and we have used it with some modifications since that time. Methods:Between February 1991 and December 2003, we performed 1660 operations for ascending/arch or descending thoracic/thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms. Of these, 321 operations were performed in 218 patients for extensive aneurysms with the elephant trunk technique. We performed 218 ascending/arch repairs and 103 descending thoracic or thoracoabdominal aortic replacements. Results:In 218 ascending/arch repairs, strokes occurred in 3 of 218 (2.7%) patients, with 1 of 187 (0.5%) in the retrograde cerebral perfusion group and 2 of 31 (6.5%) in the no-retrograde cerebral perfusion group (odds ratio 0.08, P < 0.009). Thirty-day mortality for this group was 19 of 218 (8.7%). Among 199 recovering patients after stage 1 repair, 4 of 199 (2%) died during the 30-day to 6-week interval between stages. After stage 2 repair, 0 of 103 patients experienced immediate neurologic deficit, and 10 of 103 (9.7%) died within 30 days of surgery. Actuarial survival after completed stage 2 was 71% at 5 years. Conclusion:Despite extreme underlying disease, long-term survival is excellent in patients with extensive aneurysms when both stages of repair are completed. To prevent rupture, the second stage should be completed as soon as the patients condition permits, preferably within 6 weeks.

Cardiac autotransplant for surgical treatment of a malignant neoplasm

Because of their anatomic location, cardiac sarcomas often interfere with cardiac function. Excision is considered to palliate the cardiac defect, but complete excision is often difficult owing to access, particularly in left atrial tumors. Incomplete resection results in tumor recurrence. To achieve complete resection of a large left atrial sarcoma, we used the technique of cardiac explantation, extracorporeal resection of the tumor with cardiac reconstruction, and cardiac autotransplantation.

Determination of cerebral blood flow dynamics during retrograde cerebral perfusion using power M-mode transcranial Doppler

BACKGROUND Retrograde cerebral perfusion (RCP) during profound hypothermic circulatory arrest has been used as an adjunct for cerebral protection for repairs of the ascending and transverse aortic arch. Transcranial Doppler ultrasound has been used to monitor cerebral blood flow during RCP with varying success. The purpose of this study was to characterize cerebral blood flow dynamics during RCP using a new mode of monitoring known as transcranial power motion-mode (M-mode) Doppler ultrasound. METHODS Data on pump-flow characteristics and patient outcomes were collected prospectively for patients undergoing ascending and transverse aortic arch repair. Retrograde cerebral perfusion during profound hypothermic circulatory arrest was used for all operations. Intraoperative cerebral blood flow dynamics were monitored and recorded using transcranial power M-mode Doppler ultrasound. RESULTS Between August 2001 and March 2002, we used transcranial power M-mode Doppler ultrasound monitoring for 40 ascending and transverse aortic arch repairs during RCP. Mean RCP time was 32.2 +/- 13.8 minutes. Mean RCP pump flow and RCP peak pressure for identification of cerebral blood flow were 0.66 +/- 0.11 L/min and 31.8 +/- 9.7 mm Hg, respectively. Retrograde cerebral blood flow during RCP was detected in 97.5% of cases (39 of 40 patients) with a mean transcranial power M-mode Doppler ultrasound flow velocity of 15.5 +/- 12.3 cm/s. In the study group, 30-day mortality was 10.0% (4 of 40 patients). The incidence of stroke was 7.6% (3 of 40 patients); the incidence of temporary neurologic deficit was 35.0% (14 of 40 patients). CONCLUSIONS Transcranial power M-mode Doppler ultrasound consistently demonstrated retrograde middle cerebral artery blood flow during RCP. Transcranial power M-mode Doppler ultrasound can provide optimal RCP with individualized settings of pump flow.

Neuromonitor-guided repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms

OBJECTIVE Monitoring during thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair has included the use of cerebrospinal fluid drainage and motor and somatosensory evoked potentials. We report our experience with neuromonitoring-guided thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair. METHODS Between November 2008 and January 2010, 105 thoracic aorta repairs were performed; 89% of patients (93/105) underwent repair using cerebrospinal fluid drainage and distal aortic perfusion. In addition, somatosensory and motor evoked potentials were monitored during repair, and active intraoperative maneuvers were undertaken in response to changes in the signals. Intraoperative maneuvers included intercostal artery reimplantation. RESULTS In-hospital mortality for thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic repair was 5.7% (6/105). Immediate spinal cord injury occurred in 1 patient (1%), and 3 patients (3%) had delayed neurologic deficit. Intercostal arteries were reattached in 85% of possible cases (51/60). Somatosensory evoked potentials achieved adequate readings in 99% of cases (102/103). Loss of somatosensory evoked potential was encountered in 26% of cases (27/102), and return of somatosensory evoked potentials occurred in all cases after intraoperative maneuvers. Motor evoked potentials achieved adequate readings in 96% of cases (99/103). Loss of motor evoked potential was encountered in 50% of cases (50/99), and return of motor evoked potentials occurred in all but 1 case (95%). This patient awoke with an immediate spinal neurologic deficit. CONCLUSIONS Neuromonitoring using somatosensory evoked potentials and motor evoked potentials seems useful during thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair. Alterations in intraoperative conduct resulted in return of neuromonitoring signals. This suggests a benefit in intercostal artery reimplantation via increasing perfusion to the collateral network of the spinal cord. Further studies using neuromonitoring-guided repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms are warranted.

Unsuccessful Redo MitraClip Procedure Leads to Acute Right Ventricular Failure in a Patient With Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia and a Preexisting Atrial Septal Defect

The MitraClip procedure is an emerging endovascular technique for treating mitral regurgitation and an attractive alternative for patients who are at high risk for open heart mitral valve repair or replacement. We present the case of a failed redo MitraClip procedure that led to acute right ventricular failure in a patient with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia and a preexisting secundum atrial septal defect. We highlight the sequelae of the failed redo MitraClip procedure and the anesthetic challenges associated with the emergent redo sternotomy and cardiopulmonary bypass procedure required to replace the mitral valve and repair the tricuspid valve and atrial septal defect.