Is right axillary artery cannulation safe in type A aortic dissection with involvement of the innominate artery?

In patients with acute type A aortic dissection involving the innominate artery, it is unclear whether right axillary artery cannulation for arterial inflow is safe. We evaluated the surgical outcomes of patients with dissected innominate artery according to different arterial cannulation sites.

From 2005 to 2014, of 416 patients with acute type A aortic dissection and preoperative computed tomography angiography in 2 centers, 186 (aged 63 ± 13 years; 43% were female; 95% with DeBakey type I) had dissected innominate artery (84%, 9%, and 7% involving its entire length or more or less than half of its length, respectively). Neurologic complications, in-hospital mortality, and survival were compared between patients with right axillary (N = 84) and non-right axillary (N = 102) cannulation sites. Median follow-up was 30 months (range, 0-130 months).

In-hospital mortality was 9.5% and 10.8% (P = .97) for patients with right and non-right axillary cannulation, respectively. Seven patients (8.3%) with right axillary cannulation and 9 patients (8.8%; P = .89) with non-right axillary cannulation had a new-onset postoperative stroke. The axillary artery was cannulated (although dissected) in 8 patients. None of them had a new-onset stroke or died perioperatively. The innominate artery remodeling was observed on follow-up computed tomography in 12% of right axillary cases and 14% of non-right axillary cases (P = .82). Survival did not differ between right axillary and non-right axillary cases, and measured 92% ± 3% versus 87% ± 4% and 85% ± 5% versus 73% ± 9% at 1 and 5 years, respectively (log rank, P = .29).

The right axillary artery is safe to cannulate for arterial inflow in patients with type A aortic dissection with dissected innominate artery.