Total Aortic Arch Replacements With a 4 Branched Frozen Elephant Trunk (FET) Graft in Acute Aortic Dissection (DeBakey type I)

The “frozen elephant trunk” (FET) technique was developed by Karck et al., who modified Borst's ET technique by using a stent graft to secure the distal ET section. Working in collaboration with Vascutek Terumo, we in Hannover Medical School introduced the 4-branched hybrid FET graft In 2012 (Thoraflex Hybrid). However, the results after open aortic arch repair mainly depend on perioperative management and patient factors. Over the years, peri-operative management and operative techniques have evolved greatly contributing to better results. We describe our surgical technique of implantation of this hybrid graft in acute aortic dissection Stanford type A, DeBakey type I (AADA DeBakey I) patients.