The Cabrol shunt is a technique for controlling bleeding around the aortic root following aortic valve or root manipulation. When conventional methods like additional suturing, correction of any coagulopathy, and localized hemostatic agents have failed, a pouch can be constructed around the aortic root using pericardium or graft material to capture blood loss and transfuse it directly into the right atrium (RA) via a shunt.
Over time, this shunt will close on its own. Theoretically, it’s possible to cause an aorta-RA fistula that would result in significant right-sided pressure and volume overload leading to heart failure.
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