An aortic cross-clamp is a surgical instrument used in cardiac surgery to clamp the aorta and separate the systemic circulation from the outflow of the heart.
[1] An aortic cross-clamping procedure serves, for example, in the repairing of coarctation of the aorta.
The clamping of the aorta excludes the systemic circulation, by definition, thus causing an ischemia.
When a long cross-clamping period (longer than 25 min) or a drop in distal aortic pressure below 50–60 mmHg is anticipated, the use of an intraoperative shunt may prevent complications such as paraplegia.
[2] A prolonged cross-clamp time is associated with worse cardiac outcomes after surgery.