Left pulmonary artery sling repair without cardiopulmonary bypass: A case report

Left pulmonary artery sling is an uncommon condition observed in infants. The severity of the condition is determined by the compression of the broncho-tracheal tree induced by the ring sling compression. The main goal of the treatment is to adjust the left pulmonary artery and eventually relieving the compression through surgery. The long-term outcome associated with the complexity of the anomalies.

A nine-months old patient complained of worsening respiratory distress. The computed tomography scan revealed the potential presence of a left pulmonary artery sling and compression of the trachea, without any abnormalities in the trachea itself. Echocardiography study showed no intracardiac lesion. We successfully did left pulmonary artery transection and re-implantation to main pulmonary artery without cardiopulmonary bypass.

Pulmonary artery sling commonly treated with reimplantation of the sling to its origin that usually required cardiopulmonary bypass machine. However, in our case we delivered it without the need of cardiopulmonary bypass. The outcome result turned excellent with echo post-operative showed confluent pulmonary arteries.

The optimal approach to treating congenital pulmonary artery sling is through early surgical intervention in symptomatic patients. Following surgical repair devoid of tracheal lesion, the prognosis appears favorable, and routine follow-up is required to determine the long-term effects.