Arterial cannulation and myocardial protection in severe diffuse aortic calcification.

A patient with diffuse and severe aortic calcification is described. The patient had a double vessel coronary disease and it was impossible to cannulate the ascending aorta or the femoral arteries for the cardiopulmonary bypass. Arterial cannulation was performed in the innominate artery and both mammary arteries were used during a short period of ventricular fibrillation.