Multidisciplinary Collaboration in the Performance of Aortic Surgery: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

Intraoperative management of a patient undergoing cardiac surgery requires continuous and independent interventions by multiple healthcare professionals, including surgeons, anesthesiologists, and perfusionists, among others. Although each clinician performs tasks based on their training and accepted techniques, guidelines, and protocols, an action by one member of the team can have immediate consequences for other team members. Aortic surgery adds a level of complexity, with the need for interventions such as single-lung ventilation, systemic cooling (and subsequent rewarming), and myocardial, cerebral, and visceral protection. Much has been made of the utility of the multidisciplinary team. This scientific statement is intended to approach the patient undergoing aortic surgery from 3 different viewpoints: that of the surgeon, the anesthesiologist, and the perfusionist. This scientific statement is not intended to provide an exhaustive summary of approaches to aortic surgery but rather to illustrate the specific concerns that each member of the team may have.