Interactive cardiovascular and thoracic surgery
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Sep 2002
How to determine the correct placement of the retrograde cardioplegia catheter.
Besides the surgeon's experience, there is no objective method to detect whether the retrograde cannula is inserted correctly before injecting the cardioplegia and measuring the coronary sinus pressure after the aorta cross-clamp. Repositioning of the retrograde cannula once extracorporeally is not always an easy maneuver and may include the risk of venous air suction. ⋯ Determining the retrograde cannula position avoiding unnecessary prolongation of the ischemia would allow a better protection of the heart. To our knowledge such a method has not yet been published.