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Classics in thoracic surgery. Correction of aortic coarctation
The Annals of Thoracic Surgery
|September 1, 1980
Summary
Surgical repair of aortic coarctation evolved from animal studies, leading to end-to-end aortic anastomosis. This technique significantly reduced complications and mortality for this congenital heart defect.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Surgery
- Pediatric Cardiology
Background:
- Early experiments in the 1930s investigated aortic cross-clamping in animals.
- Findings informed surgical approaches for aortic coarctation and ductus Botalli anomalies.
Observation:
- The development of a radical surgical approach for coarctation of the aorta involved clamping above and below the defect.
- The first successful coarctation resection was performed in 1944.
Findings:
- A total of 216 coarctation of the aorta operations were performed between 1944 and 1958.
- Utilizing a continuous, everting end-to-end suture in the latter 180 cases minimized suture-related complications.
Implications:
- This refined surgical technique resulted in minimal complications.
- The primary mortality rate for aortic coarctation repair was consistently below 6%.