title: Dissectors for pulmonary thromboendarterectomy.
abstract: Even with circulatory arrest during pulmonary thromboendarterectomy, continued back-bleeding obscures the operative field. This necessitates frequent interruptions of dissection to allow aspiration with a second instrument. Therefore, pulmonary thromboendarterectomy dissectors are described that allow simultaneous suction of blood from the operative field. Before the use of these dissectors, circulatory arrest time was 59 +/- 23 minutes in 124 consecutive patients. In the last 10 consecutive patients using these dissectors, the mean circulatory arrest time has been 52 +/- 22 minutes (p = not significant). It is anticipated that with a larger database, the ability to aspirate blood simultaneously during the dissecting process will result in a significant shortening of circulatory arrest time.
authors.affiliation: Sharp Memorial Hospital, San Diego, California.
authors.forename: P O
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Daily
authors.forename: W P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Dembitsky
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Daily
mesh_terms: D004691:Endarterectomy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000601:surgery*