The optimal cerebral protection strategy during complex aortic surgery remains controversial, and various brain monitoring modalities are used to provide different information to improve cerebral protection. This study aims to compare the effect of the change in cerebral oxygen saturation during hypothermic circulatory arrest on the early postoperative neurological outcome in antegrade cerebral perfusion (ACP) versus retrograde cerebral perfusion (RCP) during circulatory arrest in adult aortic surgery using cerebral oximetry.

This was a cross-sectional analytic study that enrolled a total of 84 patients undergoing total circulatory arrest during adult aortic surgery divided into two groups. Group A: 42 cases undergoing selective ACP; Group B: 42 cases undergoing RCP.

Cerebral oxygen saturation before and after circulatory arrest (right and left), cerebral oxygen saturation after cardiopulmonary bypass (right and left) and cross clamp time were significantly lower in Group A than Group B. Cerebral oxygen saturation during circulatory arrest (right and left) and circulatory arrest time were significantly higher in Group A than Group B. Regaining of conscious level time, mechanical ventilation time, neurological dysfunction, other organs dysfunction, and mortality were significantly lower in Group A than Group B.

During hypothermic circulatory arrest in complex aortic surgery in adults, cerebral oxygen saturation was an independent predictor of neurological dysfunction in patients who underwent RCP and in patients who underwent ACP.