Technique to reduce stroke in cardiac surgery patients

Sep 22 2009

Society of Thoracic Surgeons National Conference Presentation

Sequoia Hospital announced today that they are one of only two hospital participant abstracts selected for oral presentation at the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Advances in Outcomes and Quality national conference held this week in San Diego, California. "Separated Cerebral and Corporeal Perfusion Reduces Stroke Risk in Cardiac Surgery Patients with Mobile Aortic Atheromata" will be presented by Audrey Fisher, MPH, Sequoia Hospital Manager of Cardiovascular Quality & Outcomes. This new technique was developed to reduce strokes in cardiac surgery patients by isolating blood flow to the brain during cardiopulmonary bypass. The team behind the technique includes Vincent Gaudiani, MD; Luis Castro, MD; Conrad Vial, MD; and Paul Shuttleworth, CCP.

"Sequoia physicians continue to pioneer new techniques with dramatic results for our patients, in this case, a 58% reduction in stroke during cardiac surgery," said Glenna Vaskelis, president and CEO. "As a leader in cardiovascular care in Northern California, our physicians will continue to contribute to the field of cardiovascular medicine, developing the next generation of techniques through innovation and skill."

This new technique protects the brain from atherosclerotic plaque in the aorta that can mobilize and travel to the brain during heart surgery. If this occurs, the plaque can get lodged in small blood vessels of the brain and starve the surrounding brain tissue of oxygen and cause the tissue to die -- a stroke. The technique is used on patients who are recognized to have mobile atherosclerotic plaque in the aortic arch at the beginning of surgery by routine transesophageal echocardiography. Using this technique at Sequoia Hospital, the stroke rate has been 0% in these patients despite a rate of 15-50% reported in the literature.