A complete extracorporeal circulation-free approach to patients with functionally univentricular hearts provides...

We compared the early outcomes of patients undergoing extracardiac total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC) with or without cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).

Between February 2012 and February 2013, 27 patients undergoing TCPC without CPB (off-pump group) were compared with matched 27 patients undergoing TCPC on CPB (on-pump group). Outcome parameters studied were inotropic score, time to extubation, intensive care unit (ICU) stay, first 12 hours mediastinal drainage in ICU, average pleural drainage, time to removal of chest tubes, total hospital stay, and saturation at discharge.

There was one early death in each group. No patient required conversion from off CPB to CPB. The inotropic score (6.1 ± 5.91 vs 10.1 ± 6.80, P = .03), time to extubation (8.7 ± 6.95 vs 10.31 ± 8.69 hours, P = .03), first 12 hours mediastinal drainage in ICU (611.9 ± 341.4 vs 922.2 ± 145.6 mL, P = .03), and ICU stay (1.6 ± 0.58 vs 2.9 ± 1.37 days, P = .001) were significantly less in the off-pump group when compared to the on-pump group, and saturation at discharge (99.7 ± 0.60 vs 98.6 ± 2.13, P = .026) was higher in the off-pump group. However, the average daily pleural drainage (125 ± 61.72 vs 150 ± 103.4 mL, P = .7), time to removal of chest tubes (12.69 ± 7.1 vs 15.44 ± 19.26 days, P = .45), and the total hospital stay (14.23 ± 7.4 vs 18.89 ± 19.9 days, P = .22) were no different. There were substantial savings in costs in patients undergoing off-pump TCPC (P = .016).

The TCPC without CPB is easy to perform, is cost-effective, and is associated with superior early postoperative outcomes as compared to TCPC on CPB. With appropriate modifications, this operation can be performed in almost all morphological subsets of patients who do not need an associated intracardiac procedure.