At Open Heart Surgery; is the Side Graft Axillary Artery Canulation Technique Safe?

Objective: To investigate both postoperative early-mid term mortality and morbidity results of right axillary artery cannulation (AAC) that is done with the side graft technique in the pathologies including ascending aorta, aortic arch (proximal aorta) and late term complications occuring in the place of AAC. Material and Methods: Forty-five patients whose proximal aorta was intervened by using side graft-right AAC. Injury of axillary vein and brachial plexus and early postoperative mortality and morbidity were retrospectively investigated via patient file. The changes in the place of right AAC were analyzed with Doppler ultrasonography after calling tha patients whose addresses were available. Results: We recruited 45 patients (34 males and 11 females; age, 59.2±13.7years) who underwent aortic surgery. Early postoperative mortality was 7 (15.55%), transient neurologic disfunction was 2 (4.44%), early stroke was 1 (2.22%), the average length of intensive care unit was 3.35±1.61 days, length of discharge was 13.44±4.5 days. While stenosis was not encountered in the place of right AAC in none of the patients at the averagely 24±18.5 (1-52) monthly follow-up, saccular enlargement of which the smallest was 1.4 mm and the biggest was 4.6 mm in the place of right AAC was detected in 4 (16.66%) patients. Conclusion: Right AAC with side graft technique in proximal aorta pathologies is safe because of low morbidity and mortality. Not to create aneurysmal sac in axillary artery while closing the side graft after decanulation is a remarkable matter.