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Updated: Mar 26, 2026
Novel and Innovative Hybrid Technique for Type A Aortic Dissection
Published on: March 28, 2025
Minimally invasive approach for aortic arch surgery employing the frozen elephant trunk technique
Ali El-Sayed Ahmad1, Petar Risteski2, Nestoras Papadopoulos2
1Division of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe University Frankfurt/Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany ali.assayed@gmail.com.
Objectives:
Classically, repair of extensive thoracic aortic pathologies including the aortic arch and descending aorta required two separate major surgical procedures via full sternotomy and a subsequent left lateral thoracotomy. We describe herein our preliminary institutional experience with minimally invasive single-stage extended thoracic aortic replacement employing the frozen elephant trunk (FET) technique via partial upper sternotomy (PUS) in 14 patients.
Methods:
Between December 2013 and January 2015, 14 consecutive patients with elective indications for FET underwent minimally invasive FET via PUS (PUS-FET) during moderate systemic hypothermia (28°C) and selective antegrade cerebral perfusion (ACP) using the E-vita Open® hybrid prosthesis (Jotec GmbH, Hechingen, Germany). The patients' mean age was 66 ± 6 years, and 9 patients (64%) were male. The arch vessels were reimplanted en bloc in all patients. Clinical data were prospectively entered into our institutional database.
Results:
The surgical procedure was successful in all patients with no need for conversion to full sternotomy. An additional David procedure was performed in 1 patient, whereas 2 patients received a concomitant Bentall procedure. There was no perioperative death or 30-day mortality. The mean cardiopulmonary bypass time was 214 ± 35 min, and the myocardial ischaemic time was 125 ± 14 min. The ACP time was 54 ± 9 min, whereas the ventilation time reached 11 ± 4 h. Intensive care unit stay was 2 ± 3 days. Chest tube drainage within the first 24 h was 460 ± 130 ml. None of the 14 patients required re-exploration for bleeding. Patients were discharged after a hospital length of stay of 9 ± 2 days. No postoperative permanent neurological complication occurred. Two patients (14%) experienced temporary delirium with complete resolution of symptoms prior to discharge from the hospital.
Conclusions:
Our preliminary experience suggests that minimally invasive single-stage extended thoracic aortic replacement can safely and reproducibly be performed by employing the concept of PUS-FET.
