Congenital Anomalies of the Aortic Arch in Acute Type-A Aortic Dissection: Implications for Monitoring, Perfusion Strategy, and Surgical Repair

ObjectiveTo assess whether management of acute Stanford type-A aortic dissection differs in patients with congenital anomalies of the aortic arch compared with standard institutional practice.DesignRetrospective analysis of all consecutive patients from 2001 through 2011.SettingQuaternary referral center for surgical management of thoracic aortic disease.ParticipantsAll patients with arch anomalies who underwent surgery for acute Stanford type-A aortic dissection during the study period (n = 43).InterventionsSurgical management, anesthetic monitoring, and perfusion strategy were analyzed in a retrospective fashion. No new interventions were undertaken as part of this study.Measurements and Main ResultsManagement differed most in patients with an aberrant right subclavian artery (n = 5), because the institutional standard of right axillary artery cannulation with left upper extremity arterial pressure monitoring was not possible. In patients with one of two "bovine" arch patterns (n = 32), management differed in the conduct of selective antegrade cerebral perfusion, which could include clamping above or below the takeoff of the left common carotid artery (and, therefore, produced unilateral or bilateral antegrade cerebral perfusion). All patients with a connective tissue disorder exhibited a bovine arch pattern. Management of patients with a right arch (n = 3) reflected the opposite of management for normal anatomy (for patients with traditional mirror-image branching) or opposite that of the aberrant right subclavian group (for patients who had a corresponding aberrant left subclavian artery).ConclusionsRational management reflected the anatomic variations observed. These results support the importance of interdisciplinary planning, especially in an emergency, to optimize outcome.