Abstract
Sixty-nine patients with various types of cyanotic congenital heart disease underwent systemic-pulmonary artery shunts with a microporous polytetrafluoroethylene [PTFE] prosthesis between 1979 and 1985. Their ages ranged from 2 months to 39 years [mean$\pm$SD: 5.2$\pm$7.4, median: 3.3 years]. Diagnosis included the following: Tetralogy of Fallot, 45: Double outlet right or left ventricle, 11: Single ventricle, .5: Transposition of great vessels, 4: Tricuspid atresia, 3 and Pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum, 1. Forty-eight patients had subclavian-pulmonary artery anastomosis, 12 patients aorta-right pulmonary artery anastomosis, 6 patients aorta-main pulmonary artery anastomosis, and 3 patients descending aorta-pulmonary artery anastomosis. The PTEE graft of 3 mm in diameter was used in 1, 4 mm in 29, 5 mm in 35 and 6 mm in 4 patients. Ten patients were died within 30 days after operation [mortality rate: 14.5%]. Among them, 6 patients were operated in urgency due to cardiac arrest or severe anoxic spell after cardiac catheterization, and so surgical mortality of elective operation is 9.5%. The 59 survivors showed improvement of the arterial oxygen saturation [65.4% - 9.8%] and hemoglobin [18.8 gm/dl - 16.0 gm/dl] values [V<0.01]. The follow up period ranged from 1 month to 67 months, [752 patient-months] and during this periods there were 4 late shunt failures after 3 months postoperatively with 4 mm graft, and 2 with 5 mm graft. The over-all patency rate of 4 mm PTFE was 85.9$\pm$9.2% [SEM] in 12 months and 40.9$\pm$22.5% in 24 months. The over-all patency rate of 5 mm PTFE was 87.5$\pm$9.6% in 12 months and 58.3$\pm$24.6% in 36 months. The lowest systolic pressure in death group was 64.9$\pm$15.0 mmHg and in survival group, 86.4$\pm$12.1 mmHg [P<0.001]. We think that the PTFE graft is useful in palliative shunt operation, but the effectiveness of the 4 mm PTFE graft may be limited. The blood pressure also may play an important role in patency of Prosthesis.
