Ventricular septal defect closure in Taussig-Bing heart: the "pulmonic rule"

Accurate ventricular septal defect patch sizing and tailoring remain challenging in many surgical procedures. Surgical exposure frequently limits complete visualization of the ventricular septal defect. Moreover, examination of the heart cavity under cardioplegic arrest may lead to skewed appreciation of the ventricular septal defect caliber and shape. Here we describe a simple and safe surgical tip to predict the size and shape of the ventricular septal defect patch in Taussig-Bing malformation before starting extracorporeal circulation. The patch should be circular with a diameter equal to the under pressure, proximal, pulmonary artery diameter.