Is Left Innominate Vein Ligation during Aortic Arch Surgery Always Safe? A Case Report

Nikolaos Schizas; Vasilios Patris; Ilias Samiotis; Eleni Nikoli; Niki Lama; Michail Argiriou

doi:10.18502/jthc.v17i1.9322

Is Left Innominate Vein Ligation during Aortic Arch Surgery Always Safe? A Case Report

J Tehran Heart Cent. 2022 Jan;17(1):26-28. doi: 10.18502/jthc.v17i1.9322.

Authors

Nikolaos Schizas¹, Vasilios Patris¹, Ilias Samiotis¹, Eleni Nikoli², Niki Lama³, Michail Argiriou¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Cardio Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, Evangelismos General Hospital of Athens, Athens, Greece.
² Department of Anesthesiology, Evangelismos General Hospital of Athens, Athens, Greece.
³ Research Unit of Radiology and Medical Imaging, Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.

Abstract

Ligation of the left innominate vein (LIV) expands the surgeon's surgical field for ascending aorta and aortic arch procedures. Although it is considered a safe technique by most surgeons in that it is associated with only minor drawbacks, conflicting views exist regarding this method. We herein describe a 70-year-old woman who underwent ascending aorta replacement due to an aneurysm with subsequent cerebral dysfunction caused by extended brain edema, possibly related to LIV ligation, leading to her death.

Keywords: Aorta* thoracic; Aortic aneurysm; Ascending aorta; Brachiocephalic veins; Brain edema.

Publication types

Case Reports