Epidural cooling for regional spinal cord hypothermia during thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair

Epidural cooling for regional spinal cord hypothermia during thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair
DJ Vierra, MA Columbia, G Koustas, JK Davison, RP Cambria
Journal of Vascular Surgery, 1994

Eight patients undergoing thoracic or thoracoabdominal aneurysm resection received regional hypothermia of the spinal cord with an infusion of iced saline solution 30 minutes before aortic cross-clamping. During cross-clamping and aortic replacement the mean cerebral spinal fluid temperature was maintained between 25.2 degrees to 27.6ÂșC. Epidural cooling appears to be a satisfactory method of achieving regional spinal cord hypothermia in patients requiring resection of thoracic or thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms.