Faculty Opinions recommendation of Duct Stenting Versus Modified Blalock-Taussig Shunt in Neonates With Duct-Dependent Pulmonary Blood Flow: Associations With Clinical Outcomes in a Multicenter National Study.

For newborns diagnosed with single ventricle hearts and insufficient blood flow to the lungs, their lack of oxygen in the blood can be remedied with a modified Blalock-Taussig shunt (BTshunt) between the innominate and pulmonary artery. However, some surgeons prefer to have two systemic-to-pulmonary shunts, by either leaving the ductus arteriosus open or construct a second BT shunt, to provide additional pulmonary blood flow. There have been clinical reports of premature shunt occlusion when more than one shunt is employed, and a recent audit of shunt operations at a single institution has revealed increased mortality. There are speculation that these adverse outcomes can be due to flow competition between the two shunts, and/or having too much pulmonary blood flow. The flow dynamics and cardiopulmonary physiology in single ventricle circulations where pulmonary blood flow is supplied by more than one shunt has not been studied previously. In this study, we adopted CFD-based multi-domain simulations to compare a range of shunt configurations to examine the issue of flow competition and pulmonary overcirulation.

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Patent Ductus Arteriosus Stenting for All Ductal-Dependent Cyanotic Infants

Circulation Cardiovascular Interventions ◽

10.1161/circinterventions.120.009520 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Kanishka Ratnayaka ◽

Stephen J. Nageotte ◽

John W. Moore ◽

Peter W. Guyon ◽

Krishna Bhandari ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Flow ◽

Length Of Stay ◽

Patent Ductus Arteriosus ◽

Pulmonary Blood Flow ◽

Ductus Arteriosus ◽

Pulmonary Arteries ◽

Practice Change ◽

Almost All ◽

Blalock Taussig Shunt ◽

Patent Ductus

Background: Ductal-dependent cyanotic newborns require a secure source of pulmonary blood flow. There has been a recent migration to selective ductal (patent ductus arteriosus [PDA]) stenting for some of these children. Universal (nonselective) ductal stenting for all infants with ductal-dependent pulmonary blood flow is controversial. We examine outcomes from a single center with this practice change. Methods: We compare outcomes of all ductal-dependent pulmonary blood flow infants (2013–2020 [January–June]) in the following treatment eras: Era 1 (selective PDA stenting; 2013–2017) or Era 2 (universal PDA stenting; 2018–2020 [January–June]). Results: Eighty-eight patients (Blalock-Taussig shunt, n=41; PDA stent, n=47) met inclusion criteria. In Era 1, most received Blalock-Taussig shunt (62% [41/66]). In Era 2, all received PDA stents (100% [22/22]). There were more females in Era 2, but otherwise no demographic differences between eras. There were no differences in mortality, treatment failures, complications, or reinterventions between eras. Postprocedure length of stay was shorter in Era 2 (8 versus 22 days, P =0.02). There were less surgical revisions for PDA stent patients (2% versus 20%, P =0.02). Postprocedure recovery surrogate end points favored Era 2 and PDA stenting. Additional analysis revealed PDA stent (compared with Blalock-Taussig shunt) patients had shorter post-procedure (10 versus 29 days, P ≤0.001) length of stay and more symmetrical branch pulmonary arteries (0.9 versus 0.7, P =0.001) at subsequent surgery. Conclusions: PDA stenting for almost all ductal dependent cyanotic newborns can be safe and effective and may have lower morbidity than selective PDA stenting.

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