Massive cerebral embolization: successful treatment with retrograde perfusion.
Stroke is an unpredictable and morbid complication of cardiac operations. We report a patient who suffered massive bilateral cerebral embolization during aortic cannulation for coronary bypass. This was treated successfully with hypothermic circulatory arrest and high flow retrograde cerebral perfusion. The patient suffered only minimal neurologic impairment and improved rapidly. She was discharged home on postoperative day 7 neurologically intact.
Kern
J A
JA
Department of Surgery, University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, Charlottesville 22908, USA. jak3r@virginia.edu
Arnold
S
S
D000368:Aged; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply; D020520:Brain Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006324:Heart Arrest, Induced; D006801:Humans; D007036:Hypothermia, Induced; D020766:Intracranial Embolism / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D010477:Perfusion / Q000379:methods*; D012039:Regional Blood Flow