title: Technique of pulmonary thromboendarterectomy for chronic pulmonary embolism.
abstract: Pulmonary embolism infrequently results in severe chronic pulmonary arterial obstruction. However, when it does, affected patients are significantly symptomatic and have shortened survival. Medical management has proven ineffective. In the majority of surgical reports, unilateral thoracotomy with distal pulmonary arteriotomies has been emphasized. The average operative mortality was 22%. In this article, we discuss various preoperative considerations and describe in detail a surgical approach using median sternotomy for bilateral pulmonary thromboendarterectomy with cardiopulmonary bypass, deep hypothermia and circulatory arrest. With this standardized approach in 103 consecutive patients from October 1, 1984, to September 20, 1988, the hospital mortality (death within 30 days or during hospitalization) has been 11.7%.
authors.affiliation: University of California, San Diego.
authors.forename: P O
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Daily
authors.forename: W P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Dembitsky
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iversen
mesh_terms: D002315:Cardiopulmonary Bypass; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004691:Endarterectomy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006324:Heart Arrest, Induced; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D007430:Intraoperative Care; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000601:surgery*; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D013249:Sternum / Q000601:surgery