Tj. Nypaver et al., SUPRACELIAC AORTIC CROSS-CLAMPING - DETERMINANTS OF OUTCOME IN ELECTIVE ABDOMINAL AORTIC RECONSTRUCTION, Journal of vascular surgery, 17(5), 1993, pp. 868-876
Purpose: A 7-year experience in which 43 patients underwent supracelia
c aortic cross-clamping (SC-AXC) during elective abdominal aortic reco
nstruction was reviewed. Methods: Operation was performed for abdomina
l aortic aneurysm (AAA) in 29 (68%) patients, aortoiliac occlusive dis
ease in seven (16%), proximal anastomotic AAA in three (7%), ''shaggy'
' aorta syndrome in three (7%), and in situ grafting of a previously l
igated aorta in one (2%) patient. The indications for supraceliac cont
rol included pararenal AAA origin (25), pararenal aortic atheroscleros
is (18), inflammatory AAA (2), and a short infrarenal aortic stump (1)
. Vital organ ischemic complications (VOICs) were defined as any major
ischemic complication involving the liver, kidneys, bowel, or spinal
cord. Results: The incidence of VOICs was significantly increased when
concomitant renal or visceral revascularization (CRVR) was required (
p = 0.002) and correlated with an increasing SC-AXC time (p = 0.015).
In patients undergoing CRVR (n = 16) the perioperative mortality rate
was 25%; VOICs developed in six patients and included renal failure (3
), mesenteric/colonic ischemia (3), hepatic ischemia with coagulopathy
(2), and spinal cord ischemia (1). In contrast, in those not requirin
g CRVR (n = 27), SC-AXC was well tolerated. There were no VOICs and no
deaths; morbidity rate was 33%. Conclusions: The incidence of VOICs a
ssociated with the use of SC-AXC is primarily related to the level of
preoperative renal or mesenteric insufficiency, the severity of parare
nal aortic atherosclerosis, the extent of the operative procedure, and
the duration of proximal aortic cross-clamping. In complex abdominal
aortic reconstruction in which infrarenal aortic control is either not
possible or deemed hazardous, SC-AXC is a safe and valuable technique
for achieving proximal control.