title: Ascending aorta to right pulmonary artery interposition shunt in critically ill infants.
abstract: In spite of a trend toward earlier complete repair, some neonates and infants with complex cyanotic heart disease continue to require interim palliation with systemic-to-pulmonary artery shunts. A variety of shunt procedures have been proposed, each with inherent advantages and disadvantages. We have found a prosthetic interposition shunt between the ascending aorta and right pulmonary artery (AA-RPA) to be effective in very young infants with small vessels. Over a 15-year period, 51 patients, mean weight 3.33 kg and mean age 59 days, underwent this procedure with a 13% perioperative mortality and a 78% 2-year overall shunt patency rate. We conclude that the AA-RPA interposition shunt is a safe, effective procedure in these infants.
authors.affiliation: University of New Mexico, Division of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Albuquerque 87131-5341.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Kessler
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Wernly
authors.forename: B F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Akl
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rode
mesh_terms: D001011:Aorta / Q000601:surgery*; D016638:Critical Illness; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods*; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000601:surgery*; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014654:Vascular Patency