Interrupted aortic arch: factors influencing prognosis.

From January, 1969, to June, 1974, 11 infants with interrupted aortic arch were operated upon. Eight of them died in the perioperative period. Their cases were reviewed in an attempt to find factors influencing the prognosis. Age, weight, preoperative hemodynamics, angiographic findings, and the type of arch anomaly did not influence the outcome. The operation, whether palliative or involving intracardiac repair, did not affect the prognosis. The only factor related to the outcome was the size of the conduit: in all infants who died, the vessel used to bridge the gap (carotid or subclavian artery) was of narrow diameter. In the 3 patients who survived it was of much larger bore. We conclude that in the repair of interrupted aortic arch, an adequate conduit is essential for success.