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Use of the "chimney patch" technique for Norwood stage I procedures
M D Plunkett1, L M Bond, D M Geiss
1Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, University of Illinois College of Medicine and Children's Hospital of Illinois at St. Francis Medical Center, Peoria 61603, USA. plunk@ilcardiac.com
Abstract:
The Norwood stage I procedure is often used for the initial treatment of infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. This procedure creates a systemic arterial to pulmonary artery shunt to establish pulmonary blood flow. We describe a method to facilitate placement of this shunt by attaching a polytetrafluoroethylene shunt to a pulmonary artery homograft patch before performing the median sternotomy. This technique facilitates the performance of the proximal shunt anastomosis and expedites the procedure.