• Ritu Asija, Andrew M Koth, Nathalia Velasquez, Frandics P Chan, Stanton B Perry, Frank L Hanley, and Doff McElhinney.
• Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California. Electronic address: rasija@stanford.edu.
• Ann. Thorac. Surg. 2016 Jun 1; 101 (6): 2329-34.

BackgroundPatients with tetralogy of Fallot, pulmonary atresia, and major aortopulmonary collaterals (TOF/PA/MAPCAs) undergoing unifocalization surgery are at risk for prolonged postoperative respiratory failure. We sought to understand whether patients undergoing reconstruction and incorporation of occluded pulmonary arterial branches were at risk for worse postoperative outcomes.MethodsWe performed a retrospective chart review to identify patients who underwent unifocalization or unifocalization revision with incorporation of occluded pulmonary artery branches. Patients with and without occluded branches were compared, with a focus on clinical outcomes.ResultsWe studied 92 patients who underwent unifocalization procedures between 2010 and 2014, 17 (18%) of whom underwent reconstruction of occluded pulmonary artery branches. Patients with occluded vessels were more likely to require staged unifocalization procedures, although more than two thirds of this cohort eventually underwent complete intracardiac repair. Durations of mechanical ventilation, intensive care, hospital stay, and the need for early reoperation were similar between the two groups.ConclusionsOccluded pulmonary arterial branches can be safely recruited into the pulmonary vasculature in patients with TOF/PA/MAPCAs without a significant difference in postoperative outcomes compared with patients who did not have an occluded branch. Incorporation of occluded branches may also facilitate ultimate complete intracardiac repair in this complex population of patients.Copyright © 2016 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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