The Hostile Thoracic Aorta: Management Considerations for Severe Aortic Atheroma in a Challenging Case of Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting and Mitral Valve Replacement

THE THORACIC AORTA is a significant source for systemic atheroemboli, with mobile atheroma identified as being at higher risk for embolic phenomena.1,2 Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is an imaging modality that can provide an accurate and detailed evaluation of the aorta and can be used to assess plaque burden in the perioperative setting.2 –4 This case conference presents a challenging case of mitral valve surgery and coronary artery bypass grafting that was complicated by severe aortic atheroma and low cardiac output syndrome after cardiopulmonary bypass.

Source: Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia - April 20, 2018 Category: Anesthesiology Authors: Rohesh J. Fernando, Sean D. Johnson, John G. Augoustides, Prakash A. Patel, Jacob T. Gutsche, Bao Ha, Jared W. Feinman, Stuart J. Weiss, Sreekanth Cheruku, Sharon L. McCartney, Nisha Dave, Michael Fabbro, Benjamin N. Morris Tags: Case Conference Source Type: research