INTRODUCTION: We describe our experience with Jatene's operation in the surgical treatment of transposition of great arteries (TGA) where pulmonary artery reconstruction was performed with two autologous pericardial patches in order to spare the maximum amount of native aortic tissue. MATERIAL AND METHODS: There were 52 children (38 simple TGA, 14 TGA + VSD) and their age ranged from 3 days to 17 months. Body weight ranged from 2.400 to 7.400 kg (m=3.377 kg). All patients were operated under moderate hypothermia with a single infusion of blood cardioplegia. Average extracorporeal circulation time was 110.6 min and average aortic cross-clamping time was 72.5 min. RESULTS: There were 3 (5.8%) early deaths caused by pulmonary infection in 2 of them and by obstruction of the endotracheal tube in 1. There were 2 late deaths; one in a reoperation of severe coronary ostial stenosis (6 months p.o.) and another owing to pneumonia (1 year p.o.). Late echocardiography was performed in 20 children who were operated in the neonatal period and had a minimum of 5 months follow-up (m=12.7). Supravalvular pulmonary stenosis was found in only 1 (5%) patient and results were consistent with an uniform pulmonary artery development. CONCLUSION: Reconstruction of the pulmonary artery in Jatene's operation for TGA should be carried out with maximal preservation of the native aortic tissue.
Pulmonary artery; Transposition of great vessels; Cardiovascular surgery procedures
