Xiao-Fu Dai

Extensive Primary Repair of the Thoracic Aorta in Acute Type A Aortic Dissection by Means of Ascending Aorta Replacement Combined With Open Placement of Triple-Branched Stent Graft Early Results

Background— To simplify extensive primary repair of the thoracic aorta in acute type A aortic dissection, we developed the open triple-branched stent graft placement technique. The early results of this new technique are reported. Methods and Results— Between June 2008 and November 2009, 30 patients with acute Stanford type A aortic dissection underwent extensive primary repair of the thoracic aorta by means of ascending aorta replacement combined with open placement of triple-branched stent graft. Placement of the triple-branched stent graft into the true lumen of the descending aorta, arch, and 3 arch vessels was technically successful in all patients. The mean cardiopulmonary bypass time, aortic cross-clamp time, and lower body arrest time were 151.8±16.69, 84.1±6.97, and 31.17±5.34 minutes, respectively. The postoperative mechanical ventilation support period and duration of intensive care unit stay were 17.93±2.35 and 62.10±9.24 hours, respectively. All implanted stent grafts were fully opened and not kinked; there was no space or blood flow surrounding the triple-branched stent graft and no sidearm graft stenosis or occlusion. The false lumen of the descending aorta distal to the stent graft closed with thrombus in 25 of 30 patients at their first postoperative scans and in 26 of 30 at the 3-month postoperative scan. Conclusions— Open triple-branched stent graft placement is an effective technique with satisfactory early results. With this technique, extensive primary repair of the thoracic aorta may become easier and safer for acute type A aortic dissection.

Total arch repair with open triple-branched stent graft placement for acute type A aortic dissection: Experience with 122 patients

OBJECTIVE To summarize the clinical experiences and midterm follow-up results of total arch repair with open triple-branched stent graft placement for acute type A aortic dissection. METHODS From June 2008 to March 2013, 122 patients (95 men and 27 women; mean age, 50.9 ± 10.4 years) with acute type A aortic dissection underwent total arch repair with open placement of a triple-branched stent graft under hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass and selective cerebral perfusion. During the follow-up period, enhanced computed tomography and echocardiography were performed at 3 months postoperatively and annually thereafter. RESULTS Placement of the triple-branched stent graft into the true lumen of the descending aorta, arch, and 3 arch vessels was technically successful in 121 patients. The cardiopulmonary bypass time was 186.50 ± 38.23 minutes, and the selective antegrade cerebral perfusion time was 31.97 ± 10.08 minutes. The in-hospital mortality was 4.93%. No permanent neurologic dysfunction or paraplegia was observed. Three patients were lost to follow-up. The mean follow-up period was 30.24 ± 12.35 months. After hospital discharge, 3 patients died. On the 3-month postoperative scans, complete thrombus formation around the triple-branched stent graft was observed in 89.38% of the patients. Endoleaks were detected in 12 patients; 8 patients refused any management for the endoleaks, but they maintained a good quality of life. The other 4 patients were successfully treated by additional surgery. CONCLUSIONS Total arch repair with open triple-branched stent graft placement is an effective technique with satisfactory early and midterm results. This technique could be an attractive alternative to conventional total arch replacement.

A self-adaptive triple-branched stent graft for arch repair during open type A dissection surgery

OBJECTIVE To make the open placement of the triple-branched stent graft technique suitable for most patients with acute type A aortic dissection to achieve effective individual total arch repair, we developed a self-adaptive triple-branched stent graft and arch open technique. In this study, we report the clinical experience and outcomes of total arch repair using implantation of this self-adaptive triple-branched stent graft with the aid of the arch open technique. METHODS Between December 2012 and July 2014, 105 consecutive patients with acute type A aortic dissection with indications of total arch repair underwent total arch repair using implantation of a self-adaptive triple-branched stent graft with the aid of the arch open technique under hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass and selective cerebral perfusion. Survivors were followed up prospectively by means of computed tomography angiography. RESULTS The cardiopulmonary bypass time was 169.37 ± 27.17 minutes, aortic crossclamp time was 60.48 ± 16.72 minutes, and selective cerebral perfusion and lower body arrest time was 28.95 ± 7.23 minutes. The in-hospital mortality was 4.76%. One patient was lost to follow-up. One sudden death of unknown cause occurred 10 months after surgery. On the 3-month postoperative scans, the false lumen closed with complete thrombus formation around the self-adaptive triple-branched stent graft was found in all survivors and at the diaphragmatic level in 71.72% of patients. CONCLUSIONS The simple implantation of a self-adaptive triple-branched stent graft with the aid of the arch open technique can be used safely in most patients with acute type A aortic dissection for effective individual total arch repair.

Transthoracic echocardiographic guidance of minimally invasive perventricular device closure of perimembranous ventricular septal defect without cardiopulmonary bypass: initial experience

BACKGROUND Our purpose was to investigate the feasibility of transthoracic echocardiographic (TTE) guidance for minimally invasive periventricular device closure of perimembranous ventricular septal defects (VSDs). METHODS From June 2011 to September 2011, we enrolled 18 young children with perimembranous VSDs to receive minimally invasive device closure in our hospital. All of the patients were examined by TTE to determine the VSD morphology, diameter, and rims. During intra-operative device closure, real-time bedside TTE alone was used to guide device implantation. RESULTS Device implantation using TTE guidance was successful in 16 patients. Symmetric devices were used in 14 patients, and asymmetric devices were used in 2 patients. Only one patient experienced mild aortic regurgitation, and there were no instances of residual shunt, significant arrhythmias, thromboembolism, or device displacement. Two patients were transferred to surgical closure, one due to residual shunting and the other as a result of unsuccessful wire penetration of the VSD gap. CONCLUSIONS Our data indicate that TTE-guided VSD closure is feasible in young children, although a longer follow-up may be needed to document the long-term success.

Total aortic arch reconstruction with open placement of triple-branched stent graft for acute type A dissection.

FIGURE 1. The triple-branched stent graft comprised a main graft and three sidearm grafts. It consisted of a self-expandable nitinol stent and polyester vascular graft fabric. The main graft was flexible enough to conform to the curved aortic arch, and at its proximal end, there was a 10-mm long stent-free Dacron tube (A). The main graft and three sidearm grafts were individually mounted on four catheters and restrained by four silk strings (B). In total arch replacement for acute type A aortic dissection, careful manipulations of the arch and elaborate anastomoses to the distal aortic and three arch vessels are time–consuming and could induce phrenic and recurrent laryngeal nerve injury. Moreover, performing anastomosis and hemostasis at the descending aorta and at the left subclavian artery is usually very difficult because of the deep surgical field. To reduce such problems, we applied a simple open triplebranched stent graft placement technique for total arch reconstruction.

Open-Branched Stent Graft Placement Makes Total Arch Replacement Easier for Acute Type A Aortic Dissection

In total arch replacement for acute type A aortic dissection, the left subclavian artery anastomosis and the distal anastomosis at the descending aorta are often remarkably difficult because of the deep surgical field. We developed a single-branched stent graft that was constructed by adding a side arm stent-graft to a conventional aortic stent graft. By its open placement into the origin of the left subclavian artery and the descending aorta, the left subclavian artery anastomosis could be avoided, and the distal aortic anastomosis was performed at the proximal arch between the brachiocephalic artery and the left common carotid artery.

A modified valve-sparing aortic root replacement technique for acute type A aortic dissection: the patch neointima technique

We describe a modified valve-sparing aortic root replacement technique for acute type A aortic dissection. After the normal root geometry was restored by removing blood and clots in the proximal false lumen and the valve insufficiency was corrected by simple resuspension of the aortic commissures, three teardrop-shaped patches were sutured inside the sinuses as neointima and then in situ coronary buttons were connected to the small holes created in the corresponding patches. Our initial application showed that this modified valve-sparing aortic root replacement technique is an easy and effective way to restore the geometry of the aortic root and avoid bleeding during surgery for acute type A dissection.

Total arch repair for acute type A aortic dissection with open placement of a modified triple-branched stent graft and the arch open technique

BackgroundIn total arch repair with open placement of a triple-branched stent graft for acute type A aortic dissection, the diameters of the native arch vessels and the distances between 2 neighboring arch vessels did not always match the available sizes of the triple-branched stent grafts, and insertion of the triple-branched stent graft through the distal ascending aortic incision was not easy in some cases. To reduce those two problems, we modified the triple-branched stent graft and developed the arch open technique.Methods and resultsTotal arch repair with open placement of a modified triple-branched stent graft and the arch open technique was performed in 25 consecutive patients with acute type A aortic dissection. There was 1 surgical death. Most survivors had an uneventful postoperative course. All implanted stents were in a good position and wide expansion, there was no space or blood flow surrounding the stent graft. Complete thrombus obliteration of the false lumen was found around the modified triple-branched stent graft in all survivors and at the diaphragmatic level in 20 of 24 patients.ConclusionsThe modified triple-branched stent graft could provide a good match with the different diameters of the native arch vessels and the various distances between 2 neighboring arch vessels, and it’s placement could become much easier by the arch open technique. Consequently, placement of a modified triple-branched stent graft could be easily used in most patients with acute type A aortic dissection for effective total arch repair.

Ascending Aorta and Hemiarch Replacement Combined With Modified Triple-Branched Stent Graft Implantation for Repair of Acute DeBakey Type I Aortic Dissection

BACKGROUND To simplify extensive repair of acute DeBakey type I aortic dissection, ascending aorta and hemiarch replacement combined with modified triple-branched stent graft implantation was developed. The descriptions and early results of this technique are reported. METHODS From August 2014 to September 2015, 116 patients with acute DeBakey type I aortic dissection underwent ascending aorta and hemiarch replacement combined with modified triple-branched stent graft implantation. Clinical data of all patients were retrospectively reviewed. Survivors were followed up prospectively by computed tomography angiography. RESULTS The cardiopulmonary bypass time was 131.5 ± 10.7 minutes, the aortic cross-clamp time was 50.0 ± 9.9 minutes, and the selective cerebral perfusion and lower body arrest time was 17.2 ± 2.2 minutes. The in-hospital mortality rate was 3.4%. Two patients were lost during follow-up. One patient died of a cerebrovascular accident 2 months after discharge, and another died of chronic renal failure 5 months after discharge. At the 3-month postoperative scans, complete thrombus formation of the false lumen around the implanted modified triple-branched stent graft occurred in all survivors, at the diaphragmatic level in 69.7% patients, and at the superior mesenteric arterial level in 8.3% patients. CONCLUSIONS Extensive thoracic aorta repair of acute type I aortic dissection can be performed simply by combining ascending aorta and hemiarch replacement with modified triple-branched stent graft implantation. This technique can reduce the risk and technical difficulty of extensive thoracic aorta repair to levels close to those seen with ascending aorta and hemiarch graft replacement with open distal anastomosis.

An Alternative Approach for Repair of Supracardiac and Infracardiac Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Drainage in Neonates and Infants: Superior Approach with Caval Transection

Recently, the superior approach with transaction of the superior vena cava was introduced for the repair of supracardiac anomalies in adults. We developed a bidirectional right‐angle venous cannula and placed it within the innominate vein to make the modified superior approach with the superior caval transection suitable for neonates and tiny infants. We applied this modified superior approach for the repair of infracardiac forms of total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage. doi: 10.1111/jocs.12472 (J Card Surg 2015;30:278–280)