Abstract
In some clinical cases of aortic arch replacements, unsuccessful retrograde cerebral perfusion (RCP) through conventional caval cannulae occurred, which might be due to an impediment with venous valves at the jugular-subclavian junction as well as due to a steal of perfusion flow through collateral veins. In order to overcome these problems, a new double-lumen catheter was developed. This catheter was designed to be placed in the internal jugular vein (IJV) by percutaneours catheterization using a 14 Fr sheath. A balloon was installed at the tip of catheter for the occlusion of superior versa cava (SVC). Four side holes were opened at 125mm from the tip for blood perfusion into the IVJ. In a mock circulation, the pressure at perfusion line (16-118mmHg) increased with increasing the flow rate (0-400ml/min). No significant hemolysis was observed under continuous flow (400ml/min) for up to 120min. In a clinical study, the inflated balloon effectively occluded SVC, which may be expected to decrease the steal of perfusion flow from the IVJ to the lower half of the body. The distance from the tip of catheter to the side holes should be optimized in future.
