Lower Body Perfusion Reduces the Morbidity of Postoperative Acute Kidney Injury in Type A Dissection: A Propensity-Matched Analysis

Lower body perfusion (LBP) is a technique used to provide blood perfusion to distal organs and spinal cord during circulatory arrest. However, the effect of LBP on the prognosis of aortic arch surgery, especially on postoperative renal function, remains unclear.

A total of 304 patients with acute type A aortic dissection who underwent total aortic arch replacement combined with frozen elephant trunk implantation between May 2016 and December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into LBP group (group L, n=85) and non-LBP group (group NL, n=219). Routine lower body circulatory arrest was applied during operation in group NL, and antegrade LBP combined was applied during operation in group L. Perioperative data were recorded. Propensity score matching was used for statistical analysis.

After propensity score matching, 85 pairs of patients were successfully matched. Two groups significantly differed in circulatory arrest time (six minutes vs. 30 minutes, P=0.000), cross-clamping time (101 minutes vs. 92 minutes, P=0.010), minimum nasopharyngeal temperature (29.4ºC vs. 27.2ºC, P=0.000), and highest lactate value during cardiopulmonary bypass (2.3 μmol/L vs. 4.1 μmol/L, P=0.000). Considering the postoperative indicators, the drainage volume (450 mL vs. 775 mL, P=0.000) and the incidence of level I acute kidney injury (23.5% vs. 32%, P=0.046) in group L was lower than those in group NL.

LBP resulted as a safe and feasible approach in aortic arch surgery, as it could significantly shorten the circulatory arrest time, which might reduce the incidence of postoperative level I acute kidney injury.