Arch-First Technique Used with Commercial T-Graft

Staged repair of extensive thoracic aortic aneurysms puts certain patients at risk of rupture. We report the case of a patient with Marfan syndrome who presented with subacute type-A aortic dissection and a large descending aortic aneurysm. We used the arch-first technique with a commercially available Dacron T-graft. A clamshell incision was used for exposure. A button of arch vessels was anastomosed to the T-graft. Antegrade cerebral perfusion was established through the side branch. The distal end of the graft was anastomosed to the descending aorta and the proximal end to a composite graft. The duration of cerebral ischemia was 30 minutes; antegrade cerebral perfusion lasted 52 minutes. The patient experienced no neurologic dysfunction and was discharged with no major deficit. This technique shortens brain-ischemia time and is a good option if the risk of rupture of the descending component of an extensive thoracic aortic aneurysm is high. To the best of our knowledge, this is the 1st reported case in which the arch-first technique has been used with a commercially available T-graft to treat subacute type-A aortic dissection in a patient with Marfan syndrome. (Tex Heart Inst J 2002;29:26–9)