This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Author home page(s): Michele Murzi Enkel Kallushi Marco Solinas Mattia Glauber Permission Requests Google Scholar Articles by Murzi, M. Articles by Glauber, M. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Murzi, M. Articles by Glauber, M.

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

Department of Adult Cardiac Surgery, G. Paquinucci Heart Hospital, Fondazione CNR-G. Monasterio, Via Aurelia Sud, 54100, Massa, Italy

*Corresponding author. Tel.: +39 339 5380428; fax: +39 0585 493604.

E-mail address: michelem{at}ifc.cnr.it (M. Murzi).

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±11.3 years; mean body surface area 1.9±0.2 m²) who underwent limited access mitral and tricuspid valve surgery at our institution. In our experience, this cannula permits to obtain a safe venous drainage (mean arterial flow 4.7±0.6 l/min, 104±13.3% of the theoretical flow) and it allows for a correct functioning of the pump even when the right atrium is opened. In redo cases (17 patients) the procedure was conducted without snaring the caval veins. In all cases, insertion and positioning of the venous cannula was easily obtained and no patients required a conversion to an alternative perfusion strategy. In conclusion, during minimally invasive procedures requiring opening the right atrium, venous return can be safely accomplished with this two-stage femoral venous cannula. The use of this cannula permits the avoidance of the risk associated with the insertion of a second venous cannula and, in so doing, significantly simplifies the procedure.

Key Words: Minimally invasive surgery; Extracorporeal circulation; Valve disease