Discontinuity between the heart and the pulmonary circulation. Its management with the use of a valved external conduit

Abstract

The Hancock conduit that contains a porcine xenograft valve has been used in part of the cardiac repair of 22 patients with complex congenital heart disease. Five patients had a severe form of tetralogy of Fallot; six had pulmonary atresia; five had transposition of the great vessels, ventricular septal defect (VSD), and pulmonic stenosis; five had truncus arteriosus; and one had "corrected" transposition, VSD, and pulmonic stenosis. The hospital mortality was 2/22. This conduit has proved a satisfactory method to establish right ventricular-pulmonary artery continuity.