Abstract
A 52-year-old man was scheduled for coronary artery bypass grafting. Twenty minutes after institution of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), the aortic arch was ruptured, which caused massive bleeding resulting in ventricular fibrillation, when core temperature was 34.5°C. Separat-ed cerebral perfusion was established through the brachiocephalic trunk and the left common carotid artery followed by CPB at a blood temperature of 20°C. Thereafter, coronary artery bypass grafting and the aortic arch reconstruction were performed. He showed uneventful postoperative recovery and was discharged without any neurological abnormality.
The hypothermia and the rapid institution of cerebral perfusion would have contributed to the good outcome in this case.
