HEART-LUNG TRANSPLANTATION COMBINED WITH CORRECTION OF INTERRUPTED AORTIC-ARCH

We describe a new technique for heart-lung transplantation in a patien t with interrupted aortic arch. The operation was performed in a 21-ye ar-old patient with situs solitus, double-inlet left ventricle, transp osition of great arteries, type A interrupted aortic arch, and pulmona ry hypertension. One-stage correction of interrupted aortic arch was u ndertaken using recipient ductal and pulmonary arterial tissues. The e arly postoperative course was uneventful, with clinical and radiologic al evidence of satisfactory result. We conclude that it is entirely fe asible to undertake heart-lung transplantation in the presence of inte rrupted aortic arch using this technique, which requires no period of circulatory arrest and results in a tension-free anastomosis.