Anesthesia for surgery of the aorta poses some of the most difficult challenges for anesthesiologists. Major hemodynamic and physiologic stresses and sophisticated techniques of extracorporeal support are superimposed on patients with complex medical disease states. In this review, etiologies, natural history, and surgical techniques of thoracic aortic aneurysm are presented. Anesthetic considerations are discussed in detail, including the management of distal perfusion using partial cardiopulmonary bypass. Considerations of spinal cord protection, including management of proximal hypertension, cerebral spinal fluid drainage, and pharmacological therapies, are presented.
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