Hypothermic Fibrillatory Arrest During Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting in a Man With Calcified Aorta and Ventricular Fibrillation

Nathan Airhart; Marineh Bojalian; Johanna Schwarzenberger

doi:10.14503/THIJ-20-7349

Hypothermic Fibrillatory Arrest During Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting in a Man With Calcified Aorta and Ventricular Fibrillation

Tex Heart Inst J. 2021 Sep 1;48(4):e207349. doi: 10.14503/THIJ-20-7349.

Authors

Nathan Airhart¹, Marineh Bojalian^{1

2}, Johanna Schwarzenberger^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Cardiac Surgery, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, California.
² Surgical and Perioperative Careline, Department of Veterans Affairs, Los Angeles, California.
³ Department of Anesthesia, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, California.

Abstract

A 67-year-old man undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting had aortic calcification that prohibited aortic cross-clamping. When ventricular fibrillation developed during surgery, we instituted hypothermic fibrillatory arrest to avoid aortic cross-clamping. In addition to our patient's case, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using hypothermic fibrillatory arrest during cardiac surgery.

Keywords: Aortic diseases/complications; coronary artery bypass/adverse effects/methods; heart arrest, induced/methods; hypothermia, induced; intraoperative complications; risk factors; stroke/etiology/pathology; treatment outcome; ventricular fibrillation/physiopathology.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Aged
Aorta
Aortic Diseases* / complications
Aortic Diseases* / diagnostic imaging
Aortic Diseases* / surgery
Coronary Artery Bypass
Heart Arrest, Induced
Humans
Male
Ventricular Fibrillation* / diagnosis
Ventricular Fibrillation* / etiology