Left Atrial Dissection Secondary to Retrograde Coronary Sinus Cannulation During a Stanford Acute Type-A Aortic Dissection Repair: A Case Report.

Left atrial (LA) dissections are rare phenomena, often iatrogenic, caused by blood flow into a false lumen, potentially obstructing the pulmonary veins or flow into the left ventricle. Severity can range from an incidental observation or complete circulatory collapse. While LA dissections are often associated with mitral valve repair, there are 2 reported cases of LA dissections associated with retrograde cardioplegia cannula insertion through the coronary sinus. Here, we present a large LA dissection that was directly visualized and tracked to a coronary sinus injury from the retrograde cardioplegia cannula. The clinical presentation and echocardiography findings informed our subsequent management.