Neonatal Patent Ductus Arteriosus Ligation Operations Performed by Adult Cardiac Surgeons

Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) ligation is usually performed by congenital cardiac surgeons. However, due to the uneven distribution of congenital cardiac surgeons in South Korea, many institutions depend solely on adult cardiac surgeons for congenital cardiac diseases. We report the outcomes of PDA ligations performed by adult cardiac surgeons at our institution.

The electronic medical records of 852 neonates at Chung-Ang University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea from November 2010 to May 2014 were reviewed to identify patients with PDA.

Of the 111 neonates with a diagnosis of PDA, 26 (23%) underwent PDA ligation. PDAs were ligated within 28 days of birth (mean, 14.5±7.8 days), and the mean gestational age of these patients was 30.3±4.6 weeks (range, 26 to 40 weeks) with a mean birth weight of 1,292.5±703.5 g (range, 480 to 3,020 g). No residual shunts through the PDA were found on postoperative echocardiography. There was 1 case of 30-day mortality (3.8%) due to pneumonia, and 6 cases of in-hospital mortality (23.1%) after 30 days, which is comparable to results from other centers with congenital cardiac surgery programs.

Although our outcomes may not be generalizable to all hospital settings without a congenital cardiac surgery program, in select centers, PDA ligations can be performed safely by adult cardiac surgeons if no congenital cardiac surgery program is available.