Cannulation in aortic surgery: subclavian and axillary cannulation

Cannulation of peripheral vessels is being frequently used as a standard access for establishing cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in recent times. Apart from an increased use in patients requiring left ventricular circulatory support, i.e. either extracorporeal membrane oxygenation or long-term ventricular assist device systems, peripheral vessel cannulation is also beneficial in aortic surgery. The subclavian and axillary arteries are commonly used as sites for arterial cannulation to establish CPB during aortic surgery in many centres. Both cannulation sites enable safe implementation of CPB in patients requiring complex and difficult reoperations and those undergoing aortic surgery for acute type A aortic dissections or artherosclerotic aortic disease, in which cerebral perfusion is required. Here, we describe our techniques of direct cannulation of the subclavian and axillary artery for aortic arch surgery.