Surgical approach to severely symptomatic newborn infants with tetralogy of Fallot and absent pulmonary valve.

The surgical management of severely symptomatic newborn infants with tetralogy of Fallot and absent pulmonary valve has been controversial, and the results of a variety of operative approaches have not been satisfactory. We report on a technique for the treatment of these patients, which consists of (1) ligation of the main pulmonary artery to eliminate pulmonary regurgitation, excessive right ventricular stroke output, and secondary pulmonary artery dilation and airway obstruction and (2) insertion of a subclavian-pulmonary artery polytetrafluoroethylene shunt to provide pulmonary blood flow. The procedure was used in four neonates. Two patients operated on at 2 and 3 days of age are doing well 15 and 19 months postoperatively. The other two, operated on at 3 and 4 weeks of age after unsuccessful prolonged medical treatment and positive-pressure ventilation, failed to show long-term improvement and died of sepsis and respiratory failure 3 and 5 months after operation. This experience, though limited, suggests that early surgical intervention to control pulmonary regurgitation prevents progressive pulmonary artery dilatation and secondary bronchial compression, decreases the need for prolonged preoperative and postoperative ventilation, and improves the outcome of these critically ill neonates.