Con-debate: short circulatory arrest times in arch reconstructive surgery: is simple retrograde cerebral perfusion or hypothermic circulatory arrest as good or better than complex antegrade cerebral perfusion for open distal involvement or hemi-arch?

Aortic arch open surgery continues to represent a formidable challenge for heart surgeons. In fact, the interruption of physiological brain perfusion is a major detrimental effect during the systemic circulatory arrest resulting in a series of neurological complications. In order to protect the brain from these injuries, three techniques have been proposed and widely utilized as a means of protecting the brain: deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA), retrograde cerebral perfusion (RCP) and antegrade cerebral perfusion (ACP). The basis for all the techniques is the protection afforded by hypothermia with the consequent metabolic suppression.