Surgical correction of supracardiac total anomalous pulmonary venous connection using sutureless technique / 中华胸心血管外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective Retrospectively analyze surgical correction supracardiac total anomalous pulmonary venous con-nection (TAPVC) using sutureless technique to prevent post-repair pulmonary vein stenosis. Methods Between December 2007 and December 2008, 25 children cases of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection underwent primary surgical cor-rection. The anatomic types of TAPVC were supra cardiac in nine patients, inha cardiac in one, mixed in 3 and intra cardiac in 12. Five of nine supra cardiac TAPVC underwent correction using sutureless technique. There were 2 male and 3 female. Their age at surgeries ranged from 2 months to 13 years, and the body weight were from 4.5 kg to 2.1 kg with an average of (7.9±6.4) kg. After median sternotomy and opening the pericardium, the heart was arrested by delivering cold crystal ear-dioplegia. The heart was then positioned toward the patient' s right and under the right henri sternum. A generous incision across the posterior wall of the left atrium and one on the common pulmonary vein was made. The latter was extended upwards to the midpoint of the vertical vein. The left atrium was subsequently connected to the pulmonary venous confluence by suturing the edge of the atrium to the posterior mediastinal pericardium that surrounding the common pulmonary vein and the vertical vein with 7-0 PDS. The vertical vein was partially ligated after conclusion of CPB, leaving a diameter of 5mm shunt. Routine follow-up with echocardiogram were at diacharging, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year after surgery. Results All 5 cases survived uneventfully excopt 1 baby on ventilation over 7 days after surgery, who had bilateral lung consolidation before the operation. Echocardiogram showed satisfactory results with maxium velocity acrossing the anastomosis of 0.65 -0.85 m/s. Conclusion Sutureleas technique can avoid trauma to the pulmonary venous endothelium and minimize the tension of anastomasis. It may play an important role to prevent post-repair pulmonary vein stenosis. More patients with long-term follow-up are necessary to draw a definite conclusion of this technique.