Heart-lung transplantation combined with correction of interrupted aortic arch

Abstract

We describe a new technique for heart-lung transplantation in a patient with interrupted aortic arch. The operation was performed in a 21-year-old patient with situs solitus, double-inlet left ventricle, transposition of great arteries, type A interrupted aortic arch, and pulmonary hypertension. One-stage correction of interrupted aortic arch was undertaken using recipient ductal and pulmonary arterial tissues. The early postoperative course was uneventful, with clinical and radiological evidence of satisfactory result. We conclude that it is entirely feasible to undertake heart-lung transplantation in the presence of interrupted aortic arch using this technique, which requires no period of circulatory arrest and results in a tension-free anastomosis.