Absorbable Microplate Externally Suspending Bronchomalacia in Congenital Heart Disease Infant

To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of external suspension with absorbable poly-l-lactic acid material shaping microplates for infants with severe bronchomalacia and congenital heart disease. From November 2017 to January 2019, 11 continual patients with severe bronchomalacia and congenital heart disease underwent bronchial membrane external suspension together with cardiovascular surgery. An absorbable plate made with poly-l-lactic acid material was used as the shaping fixation material in all patients. Data included the details of the operation, and clinical results were collected. The mean age was 1.2 ± 1.0 years, and the mean weight was 7.7 ± 2.9 kg. The patients with cardiac malformations were operated on under low-temperature cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) through median sternotomy. There were no in-hospital deaths. The CPB time, mechanical ventilation time, and length of intensive care unit stay were 123.9 ± 36.9 min, 20.7 ± 19.4 h, and 71.6 ± 54.9 h, respectively. Two patients underwent surgery through a left posterolateral incision without CPB. One was a double aortic arch repair, and the other was only bronchial membrane external suspension with prior IAA repair. No patients needed ECMO support. The mean follow-up time was 12.1 ± 5.6 months, and no patients were lost to follow-up. No cases of late death were noted, and no patients needed reoperation. According to the CT scans, no patients had bronchial restenosis. External bronchial membrane suspension with an absorbable poly-l-lactic acid material shaping plate, which had better histocompatibility, for infants with severe bronchomalacia and congenital heart disease was a safe and feasible procedure.