Device Reduces Stroke Risk After Heart Surgery

Cardiac surgeons at Bridgeport Hospital are among the first in Connecticut to use an innovative device that replaces suturing during heart bypass operations, and dramatically reduces the risk of stroke and other neurological complications.

Known as an aortic connector, the new device simplifies the process of attaching a replacement vein onto the aorta, the main artery leading from the heart to the rest of the body.

“Stroke is a complication in five percent of all cardiac bypass surgeries and behavioral changes are experienced by 65 percent of bypass patients,” says Dr Clive Robinson, chief of cardiothoracic surgery. “Because the connection can now be completed in 30 seconds, there is no need to apply a clamp to the aorta. This means fewer chances of a clot being loosened from the aorta wall.”

In bypass surgery, a replacement vein is sutured onto the aorta to help restore blood flow around a blocked blood vessel. This can take up to five minutes, even for a dexterous surgeon. The aorta is clamped shut to stabilize the heart for suturing and prevent blood from backing up into the heart. The clamping can knock material loose from the aorta wall, resulting in a clot that can disrupt blood flow to the brain and cause a stroke or other behavioral complications.

The aortic connector dramatically reduces the risk of a clot because it does not require clamping of the aorta. Resembling a long-handled screwdriver, the device is first inserted through the replacement vein and then used to punch a precise hole in the aorta. The end of the vein is then inserted into the hold. Seven metal hooks are simultaneously released, connecting the vein snugly to the aorta. The connector is withdrawn and the outgoing end of the vein is connected to the heart.

“The aortic connector is a major advancement in cardiac bypass surgery, not only in terms of technology but also patient safety,” said Dr Robinson. “The reduced risk of stroke will have a dramatic impact on a patient’s quality of life.”