Primary definitive repair of type B interrupted aortic arch, ventricular septal defect, and patient ductus arteriosus. Early and late results.

Since March, 1974, eight patients, aged 7 days to 5 months, with type B interrupted aortic arch (IAA), ventricular septal defect (VSD), and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) were treated at the Columbus-Presbyterian Medical Center and the University of Maryland Hospital. Six of these patients underwent definitive repair utilizing deep hypothermia and circulatory arrest. Correction involved resection of all ductal tissue, primary anastomosis of the aortic arch, closure of the foramen ovale, and patch closure of the VSD. In five patients, all arch vessels were preserved and no prosthetic material was used to reconstruct the aortic arch. One patient died 48 hours postoperatively of a coagulopathy. All others survived more than 30 days. One patient, 3 1/2 months old at repair, had undergone pulmonary artery banding at another institution at 11 days of age; he died of recurrent respiratory infections 8 months after correction. Three patients are alive and well 3 to 6 years after repair. Two have undergone repeat cardiac catheterization which demonstrated good growth of the anastomosis and no residual gradient. Primary definitive correction of type B IAA with VSD and PDA provides distinct advantages over palliative or other surgical procedures with excellent long-term results.