Advanced Perfusion Strategies in Complex Aortic Care

Barts Heart Centre partnered with The Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust to deliver an insightful webinar on Advanced Perfusion Strategies in Complex Aortic Care. Hosted by Dani Blackie, Lead Clinical Perfusionist at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, the event brought together leading experts in cardiac surgery, perfusion, and patient care, all sharing their knowledge and experiences with a focus on improving outcomes for patients suffering from aortic dissection and related aortic conditions.

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Visit our Health Care Practitioner Learning Portal to access the full recordings from this event and enhance your understanding of advanced perfusion strategies in complex aortic care.

Personal Reflections

Catherine Fowler, trustee of The Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust, opened the webinar by sharing a deeply personal story that drives the mission of the charity. After losing her father to a misdiagnosed aortic dissection and nearly losing her aunt to the same condition, Catherine has been committed to raising awareness about this often fatal disease. She highlighted the under-diagnosis of aortic dissection and stressed the need for better recognition of symptoms and improved treatment pathways. The Trust aims to improve diagnosis, increase survival, and reduce disability through education, research, and policy changes.

Understanding Aortic Dissection

Graham Cooper, Consultant Cardiac Surgeon, provided an informative overview of aortic dissection, discussing its pathophysiology, epidemiology, and the critical importance of timely intervention. With a mortality rate of 50% before hospital arrival for type A dissections, urgent surgical repair is essential. Graham also touched on the necessity of long-term follow-up, including genetic screening, especially for younger patients.

Streamlining AD Care at Barts Heart Centre

Urszula Simoniuk, senior trainee at Bart’s Heart Centre, presented on the hospital’s aortic dissection pathway protocol, implemented in 2021. This protocol standardises patient care, ensuring that acute aortic syndromes are rapidly diagnosed and treated within critical timeframes. Urszula highlighted the importance of a multidisciplinary approach, which has demonstrably improved survival rates by enabling faster diagnosis and more tailored treatments. 

Transforming Care through Clinical Guidelines

Dani Blackie took participants through the journey of transforming care for aortic dissection patients at Barts Heart Centre. With a focus on the development of clinical guidelines to standardise treatment across the multidisciplinary team, Dani showcased how these guidelines have led to improved patient outcomes, including a significant reduction in mortality rates. She emphasised the importance of ongoing research and collaboration to further enhance care on a national level.

Enhancing Surgical Approaches

Consultant Cardiac Surgeon Benjamin Adams presented surgical strategies and cannulation techniques in emergency aortic dissection cases. He highlighted the importance of preoperative planning, particularly rapid transfer of imaging, to allow the surgical team to be fully prepared. Ben also highlighted advanced techniques such as the frozen elephant trunk and discussed the critical role of monitoring perfusion during surgery to prevent complications like stroke.

Precision and Preparedness in Perfusion

Cristina Revilla Martin closed the webinar by discussing the vital role of perfusionists in managing complex aortic dissection surgeries. She detailed the precision required in selecting appropriate cannulation strategies and maintaining hemodynamic stability during procedures. Cristina emphasised the importance of continuous education and teamwork in ensuring patient safety, particularly when navigating the complexities of advanced techniques such as deep hypothermic circulatory arrest.