Standstill operation is a surgical procedure that involves cooling the body of the patient and stopping blood circulation. It is used to repair brain aneurysms and
aortic archThe arch of the aorta begins at the level of the upper border of the second sternocostal articulation of the right side, and runs at first upward, backward, and to the left in front of the trachea; it is then directed backward on the left side of the trachea and finally passes downward on the left...
defects.
The procedure requires keeping the patient in a state of hibernation at 15 degrees Celsius with no breathing, heartbeat, or brain activity for up to one hour. Blood is drained from the body to eliminate blood pressure.
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Standstill operation is a surgical procedure that involves cooling the body of the patient and stopping blood circulation. It is used to repair brain aneurysms and
aortic archThe arch of the aorta begins at the level of the upper border of the second sternocostal articulation of the right side, and runs at first upward, backward, and to the left in front of the trachea; it is then directed backward on the left side of the trachea and finally passes downward on the left...
defects.
The procedure requires keeping the patient in a state of hibernation at 15 degrees Celsius with no breathing, heartbeat, or brain activity for up to one hour. Blood is drained from the body to eliminate blood pressure. The patient is considered
clinically deadClinical death is the popular term for cessation of blood circulation and breathing. It occurs when the heart stops beating in a regular rhythm, a condition called cardiac arrest. The term is also sometimes used in resuscitation research....
during the operation.
This operation is also known as a hypothermic cardiac standstill. According to ES Connolly, Jr. and RA Solomon:
"Surgical management of giant cerebral aneurysms remains a major technical challenge for modern neurosurgeons. Endovascular approaches for giant aneurysms does not provide an acceptable alternative to direct surgical approaches. The use of deep hypothermic circulatory arrest as an adjunct during clipping of complex giant aneurysms shows promise as a treatment for otherwise incurable lesions. Patient selection and techniques of circulatory arrest surgery are discussed".
Pop culture references
In the 2005-2006 season of the
Grey's AnatomyGrey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series. It follows the lives of five surgical interns, later residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital in Seattle, Washington. The pilot episode, "A Hard Day's Night" premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC...
TV series, doctors performed a standstill operation on Joe, the bar owner from across the street from the hospital. Doctor O'Malley came up with a creative solution to Joe's financial inability to pay for the expensive surgery by declaring that part of the surgery was experimenting on a cadaver, thereby entitling Joe to be paid for allowing his body to be used for the benefit of science.
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