A new strategy for the surgical treatment of aortic coarctation associatedwith ventricular septal defect in infants using an absorbable pulmonary artery band

OBJECTIVES We propose a new strategy using coarctation repair together with a polidioxanone absorbable pulmonary artery banding to limit operative ris k and to spare infants with aortic coarctation subsequent operations. BACKGROUND The alternative for the surgical management of aortic coarctatio n associated with ventricular septal defect (VSD) is single-stage repair ve rsus coarctation repair with or without banding of the pulmonary artery. METHODS Eleven infants (mean weight 2,560 +/- 1,750 g, range 1,320 to 3,800 g) underwent a coarctation repair with a polydioxanone banding. Seven had a trabecular and four a perimembranous VSD. The mean size of the VSD was 5 +/- 0.7 mm (range 4 to 7 mm). The systolic pulmonary pressure was > 80% of the aortic pressure in all. The pulmonary band was tightened until the syst olic pulmonary pressure fell below 50% of the aortic pressure. RESULTS There were no hospital deaths. The reabsorption of the banding was complete after 5.7 months in all patients (3 to 6.5 months). The VSD closed completely in four infants and partially in six, in whom the pulmonary art ery pressure was normal without evidence for significant left-to-right shun t. One patient with a large trabecular VSD underwent surgical closure of hi s defect after four months. Finally, a subsequent open-heart surgery could be avoided in 91% (10/11) of patients. CONCLUSIONS Provided the VSD belongs to types prone to close spontaneously, this policy may reduce the number of surgical procedures per infant as wel l as in-hospital mortality and morbidity rates. It should be proposed as an alternative to more complex procedures. (J Am Coil Cardiol 1999;34:866-70) (C) 1999 by the American College of Cardiology.