is three-vessel perfusion better than two-vessel perfusion?
OBJECTIVE: During selective cerebral perfusion (SCP), only the upper body is perfused. However, blood actually returns into the descending aorta through collaterals during SCP. This collateral blood flow (CBF) is thought to be important to protect the visceral organs and spinal cord from ischemia. The left subclavian artery is postulated to be important as a collateral source to the lower body. Therefore, we measured CBF and examined whether a perfusion technique (three- or two-vessel perfusion) affects CBF to the lower body during SCP. METHODS: CBF was measured in 49 patients who underwent aortic arch surgery with SCP between August 2006 and July 2008. CBF, the amount of blood returning into the descending aorta during SCP, was measured under conditions of constant flow during SCP, with three-vessel cannulation that included the left subclavian artery, or with two-vessel cannulation that excluded the left subclavian artery. To prove visceral perfusion during SCP, hepatic (n=22) and st
