Might type A acute dissection repair with the addition of a frozen elephant trunk improve long-term survival compared to standard repair?

A best evidence topic in cardiac surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was: in patients with an acute type A dissection (TAAD) is a frozen elephant trunk in addition to standard aortic dissection repair advantageous in terms of improved long-term mortality and closure of the distal false lumen? Altogether more than 138 papers were found using the reported search, of which six represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The authors, journal, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes and results of these papers are tabulated.

Video-assisted right atrial surgery with a single two-stage femoral venous cannula.

In the present paper, we report our experience with a single two-stage femoral venous cannula, ideated to drain simultaneously both the superior and the inferior vena cava during minimally invasive cardiac surgery. This cannula has been used in 79 patients (mean age 66.2+/-11.