Intra-aortic balloon clamp for safe resternotomy in a patient with a giant aneurysm of sinuses of Valsalva.

Despite advances in surgical techniques and postoperative medical management, the mortality rates for cardiac reoperations remain high. The risk is most commonly associated with failed resternotomy complicated by fatal injury to the myocardium or its structures. This short case report documents the first use of an endoluminal balloon occlusive device in order to prevent aneurysmal sack damage and coronary vessel injury in a patient with a giant aortic aneurysm after failed aortic surgery. The safe aortic occlusion allowed for closed-chest cardioplegia delivery and subsequent aortic unloading, thus facilitating a difficult but uneventful resternotomy.