In memoriam: Randall B. Griepp (1940-2022)

TY - JOUR

T1 - In memoriam

T2 - Randall B. Griepp (1940-2022)

AU - Adams, David H.

AU - Pandis, Dimosthenis

N1 - Funding Information: The establishment of the animal laboratory on arrival at Mount Sinai led to a continuation of his commitment to an evidence-based approach to pushing the envelope of what is possible, and establishing which current practices truly benefit patients. Over his tenure, the Mount Sinai animal laboratory received several million dollars in continuous grant support from the National Institutes of Health, for a period of 20 years. With the aid of fellow surgeons Drs Ergin, Lansman, and Spielvogel, among many others ( Figure 8 ), Dr Griepp's group generated translational research in cerebral and spinal circulation, physiology, and pathoanatomy that led to landmark discoveries in establishing the limits of hypothermia 8 and the influence of perfusion flow variations in the functional physiology and metabolic integrity of the cerebrospinal parenchyma. 9-13 His career's work produced more than 400 publications that served to innovate, as well as to document, audit, improve, and disseminate new information to peers. For more than 40 years, Dr Griepp gave us answers to problems from simplifying cannulation strategy and optimizing tissue perfusion at low temperatures, to maintaining hypothermic metabolism at low-flow states and avoiding indolent changes in perfusion pressure and distribution both in proximal cerebral and distal spinal cord circulations during aortic arch and thoracoabdominal surgery. 12 , 14-16 His body of work generated many of the most significant landmarks in aortic surgery: use of profound HCA, including redefining the time limit to 30 minutes (from 1 hour) at 15 ° C, 8 the futility of retrograde cerebral perfusion in maintaining parenchymal metabolic substrate, and reasserting the role of antegrade cerebral perfusion. 12 , 17 He promoted the use of the innominate (or axillary) artery cannulation and the open distal anastomosis technique during aortic arch replacement. 4 He explained the physiology of cerebrospinal cord injury in less-than-profound HCA during aortic surgery 18 and introduced the innovative trifurcated graft technique for arch replacement. 19 , 20 Among all the valuable collaborators on this body of work, perhaps none has been more important than his wife, Eva, a pediatric cardiologist, who set aside her own career in the early years at Mount Sinai to contribute to the editing of manuscripts and the writing of grants. Funding Information: Quotations are from personal communications with Dr Griepp collated in preparation for his Legends Series Lectureship for the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, presented on November 18, 2020. https://www.mitralvalverepair.org/video/2020-11-18-griepp-legend-series. The authors thank Dr Eva Griepp and Dr Matthew Griepp for their critical comments and review to ensure the accuracy of this attribution.

PY - 2023/7

Y1 - 2023/7

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85151881164

U2 - 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2023.02.023

DO - 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2023.02.023

M3 - Editorial

AN - SCOPUS:85151881164

SN - 0022-5223

VL - 166

SP - 1

EP - 10

JO - Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery

JF - Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery

IS - 1

ER -