Cerebral protection: the surgeon's view.

ABSTRACT

The cardiothoracic team has to be ready with a strategy that corners the preoperative to postoperative period, but the cardiothoracic surgeon has to be prepared to perform the optimal procedure by concentrating on the procedure and avoiding circulatory arrest. If it is not possible to avoid circulatory arrest the surgeon should choose the ideal cerebroprotective technique for each patient, which is not always the same technique, change the method during the procedure if necessary, and remember that cerebral protection is not the same as cerebral metabolic preservation.