[Acute retrograde dissection of the aorta is a formidable complication in retrograde perfusion through the femoral artery].

To avoid this complication, we applied a Nelaton catheter (Imamura, Tokyo, Japan: standard type) as a guide to insert an arterial perfusion cannula (Bardic) into the femoral artery. Initially, the Nelaton catheter is accurately placed into the femoral artery through a purse string suture without applying vascular clamps on the artery or its branches. Then the perfusion cannula is advanced using the Nelaton catheter as a guide. We believe this procedure will avoid acute retrograde dissection of the aorta since it protects the femoral artery from injuries caused by the vascular clamps or the tip of the perfusion cannula.