title: Bidirectional cavopulmonary shunt for acute right ventricular failure in an adult patient.
abstract: Right ventricular failure due to right coronary occlusion is an uncommon but serious complication of acute aortic dissection. We report a patient with right coronary occlusion from acute type A aortic dissection who developed right ventricular failure that persisted after proximal aortic repair, rendering weaning from extracorporeal circulation unsuccessful. With a bidirectional cavopulmonary shunt and the use of an intraaortic balloon, the patient could be weaned successfully from cardiopulmonary bypass. This procedure may be an alternative to a right ventricular assist device in selected candidates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, University Hospital Homburg, Homburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kunihara
authors.forename: Vakhtang
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Dzindzibadze
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Aicher
authors.forename: Hans-Joachim
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Schäfers
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000150:complications; D001014:Aortic Aneurysm / Q000150:complications; D002315:Cardiopulmonary Bypass / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018497:Ventricular Dysfunction, Right / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*