Bovine jugular vein conduit for right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction: evaluation of risk factors for mid-term outcome.
BACKGROUND
The bovine jugular vein conduit (Contegra [Medtronic, Inc, Minneapolis, MN]) is one option for right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction. We examined the effect of patient age, conduit size, hemodynamics, and cardiac malformation on early and mid-term outcome.


METHODS
Seventy-eight bovine jugular vein implantations were performed over 5 years. Follow-up averaged 31 +/- 17 months. Risk factor and adverse event analyses for graft dysfunction were performed by multivariate logistic regression and Kaplan-Meier analysis.


RESULTS
There was no early mortality. Two late deaths occurred after 9 and 15 months. Early postoperative echocardiography revealed bovine jugular vein regurgitation greater than 2+ in 10 patients, all of which had conduit dilatation, had received a 12-mm conduit, and had a right-ventricular-to-left ventricular pressure ratio greater than 0.6. Two additional patients had severe conduit incompetence develop at the 2-year follow-up. During follow-up, mean gradients increased from 15 to 23 mm Hg (p = 0.03) and stenosis at the distal anastomosis occurred in 25% of patients. Percutaneous interventions were performed in 19 patients (24.4%). Conduit exchange was required in 10 patients (12.8%) after a mean of 14.9 months for severe graft incompetence (8 patients) and progressive supravalvular stenosis (2 patients). Freedom from reoperation was 77.6% and 59.3% at 1 and 4 years for patients less than 1 year of age compared with 93.5% and 87.4% for patients older than 1 year of age (p < 0.001). Risk factors for reoperation were age less than 1 year, correction of truncus arteriosus, conduit size of 12 mm, and persistently elevated right-ventricular-to-left ventricular pressure ratio greater than 0.6 (p = 0.001 each).


CONCLUSIONS
Bovine jugular vein implantation is associated with low reoperation and acceptable reintervention rate in patients older than 1 year of age. In infants with persistently elevated right ventricular pressure, reoperation rate was high and had to be compared with other established surgical options.
Rastan
Ardawan J
AJ
Department of Cardiac Surgery, Heart Center, University of Leipzig, Germany. rastan@rz.uni-leipzig.de
Walther
Thomas
T
Daehnert
Ingo
I
Hambsch
Jörg
J
Mohr
Friedrich W
FW
Janousek
Jan
J
Kostelka
Martin
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures; D002417:Cattle; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007601:Jugular Veins / Q000637:transplantation*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome