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Aortic Surgery and Mechanical Circulatory Support Flashcards

6 cards from real CSC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

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  1. The DeBakey classification of aortic dissection Type I involves:

    Answer: Dissection originating in the ascending aorta and extending into the descending aorta

    DeBakey Type I dissection begins in the ascending aorta and propagates distally through the arch and into the descending aorta, requiring emergency surgery.

  2. Stanford Type A aortic dissection requires emergency surgery primarily because of the risk of:

    Answer: Pericardial tamponade, aortic regurgitation, and coronary ostial involvement

    Type A dissection threatens the proximal aorta, risking rupture into the pericardium (tamponade), aortic valve disruption, and coronary ostial dissection causing acute MI.

  3. Deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA) is used in aortic arch surgery primarily to:

    Answer: Provide a bloodless operative field while protecting the brain and organs during circulatory pause

    DHCA cools the patient to 15–20°C, dramatically reducing cerebral metabolic demand and allowing safe cessation of circulation for arch reconstruction.

  4. Which technique can extend the safe duration of circulatory arrest during aortic arch surgery beyond DHCA alone?

    Answer: Selective antegrade cerebral perfusion (SACP)

    SACP delivers oxygenated blood directly into the cerebral vessels during circulatory arrest, extending safe arch reconstruction time beyond the limits of DHCA alone.

  5. The Bentall procedure is performed for:

    Answer: Aortic root aneurysm with aortic regurgitation, replacing the root, valve, and reimplanting coronary buttons

    The Bentall procedure replaces the aortic root with a composite graft (valve + ascending aorta), with reimplantation of the coronary ostia as buttons into the graft.

  6. An intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) improves cardiac function by:

    Answer: Inflating in diastole to augment coronary perfusion and deflating before systole to reduce afterload

    IABP counterpulsation inflates during diastole (augmenting coronary perfusion) and deflates just before systole (reducing LV afterload via aortic unloading).