Selective perfusion of the upper and lower body under different levels of hypothermia in a patient with coronary artery disease and dissecting thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm.

Hypothermia is known to protect the myocardium and the spinal cord during ischemia. However the risk of complications increases with lower hypothermic conditions. In this paper we report a 62-year-old male patient with concomitant coronary artery disease who was surgically treated for a thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm and an abdominal paraanastomotic pseudoaneurysm using selective perfusion of the upper and lower body under mild and deep hypothermia respectively. The patient was discharged uneventfully and only experienced transient delirium. We believe this novel modality may be a promising alternative in selected candidates.