Combined techniques for double valve replacement in the infant

A 6-month-old female infant was seen with heart failure secondary to severe aortic and mitral regurgitation. As a neonate the infant had undergone an aortic valvotomy for congenital aortic stenosis. Subsequently the infant had aortic and mitral regurgitation with an infarcted papillary muscle. Double valve replacement was carried out with the St. Jude valve. The first approach was by the Manouguian procedure with extension of the aortotomy out between the left coronary cusp and the noncoronary cusp. The posterior mitral apparatus was resected, and a 19-mm St. Jude aortic valve was sewn into the mitral position. Because the enlarged aortic valve annulus was still inadequate to accommodate a 19-mm St. Jude valve, a Konno procedure was carried out to enlarge the aortic ring anteriorly. Atrial, septal, and aortic repair and right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction were carried out with bovine pericardium. Bypass was carried out with standard techniques of hypothermia, aortic cross-clamping, and cardioplegia. Postoperative anticoagulation therapy was initially with aspirin and dipyridamole (Persantine); however, clotting of the mitral prosthesis necessitated treatment with urokinase and heparin, which completely resolved the clot. Sodium warfarin (Coumadin) therapy was then begun. One year postoperatively, the child is developing normally.