Effects of intermittent lower body perfusion on end-organ function during repair of acute DeBakey type I aortic dissection under moderate hypothermic circulatory arrest

OBJECTIVES: To avoid deep hypothermia-related side effects, moderate hypothermic circulatory arrest (HCA) is commonly employed during aortic arch repair, thereby jeopardizing end-organ protection. We sought to analyse the effect of intermittent lower body perfusion (ILBP) on end-organ function during repair of acute DeBakey type I aortic dissection (AIAD). METHODS: Between May 2008 and May 2011, 107 patients underwent surgical repair for AIAD. All operations were performed with selective cerebral perfusion (SCP) under either moderate HCA only (n = 57) or moderate HCA with ILBP (n = 50). Adverse outcomes, including operative mortality, permanent neurological deficit, temporary neurological deficit, renal failure requiring dialysis and hepatic dysfunction, were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The mean body temperature at the initiation of SCP was 28.7 ± 1.9°C. Overall operative mortality occurred in 6 (5.6%) patients. The incidences of permanent neurological deficit and temporary neurological deficit were 1.9 and 4.7%, respectively. None of the 9 (8.4%) patients who suffered postoperative renal failure requiring dialysis received ILBP. The laboratory data showed significantly lower levels of hepatic and kidney enzymes in the ILBP group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Significantly lower levels of hepatic and kidney enzymes indicate more effective end-organ protection with the use of ILBP. Our data suggest that ILBP provides more effective end-organ protection during repair of aortic arch under moderate HCA.