Axillary artery cannulation is indicated mainly during surgery involving the aortic root and the aortic arch when the pathology precludes a standard cannulation of the ascending aorta. Axillary cannulation provides an antegrade systemic flow, allows easy initiation of antegrade cerebral perfusion during circulatory arrest and reduces the rate of retrograde cerebral embolization compared with a femoral cannulation. Experimentally, axillary cannulation has been shown to reduce cerebral emboli compared with a standard ascending aortic cannulation. Axillary artery cannulation can be used as the procedure of choice in cases of ascending aortic aneurysm extending in the arch, isolated arch aneurysms, type A aortic dissection, porcelain aorta, re-operations of the thoracic aorta and other miscellaneous indications.
Keywords: Arterial cannulation; Axillary artery; Cardiopulmonary bypass.