ABSTRACT
Retrograde cerebral perfusion under hypothermic circulatory arrest is a simple and useful adjunct to avoid cerebral ischemic injury in the treatment of aortic arch pathology. In the surgery of distal aortic arch and proximal descending aortic lesions through the left thoracotomy incision, right atrium-retrograde cerebral perfusion (RA-RCP) through a venous cannula positioned into the right atrium is simpler than retrograde cerebral perfusion through superior vena cava. The time limits for RA-RCP during aortic arch reconstruction have yet to be clarified. We, herein, present a case with uneventful recovery after RA-RCP of 94 minutes during reconstruction of aortic arch and descending aorta. These data suggest that RA-RCP, as an adjunct to hypothermic circulatory arrest, may prolong the circulatory arrest time and thus prevent ischemic injury of the brain, even when RA-RCP exceeds 90 minutes.