Innominate artery cannulation during aortic surgery.

During aortic surgery, the cannulation of arteries preserving an antegrade flow in the thoracic aorta [ascending aorta, axillary artery, innominate artery (IA) and carotid artery] has been associated with superior survival and neurological outcomes compared with the cannulation of the femoral artery. However, the ideal site of cannulation for both cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and antegrade selective cerebral perfusion remains under debate. Here, we present our technique of IA cannulation for CPB and antegrade selective cerebral perfusion during surgery of the thoracic aorta.