Closed Heart Surgery

Closed heart surgery implies that the "heart lung machine" or "bypass" machine is not used and the heart is visualized but not cut open.  Listed below are details of three types of closed heart surgery:

Closed Heart Surgery

Patent Ductus Arteriosus Coarctation of the Aorta Blalock-Taussig Shunt

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Patent Ductus Arteriousus (PDA)

PDA refers to an open vessel that allows blood to flow between the aorta and the pulmonary artery.  The ductus arteriosus is open during fetal life to divert blood away from the unused lungs.  Normally the ductus closes within the first day of life, but for unknown reasons it sometimes remains open.  This occurence is more common in premature infants.  If the PDA is small, there may be no symptoms at all.  Symptoms of a large PDA are rapid breathing, fatigue, and slow weight gain.  After surgical correction, these symptoms will disappear.  The surgery involves a left thoracotomy incision.  The vessel is "ligated" and divided in half or clipped so that there will be no flow.  This is a curative operation; no other surgery is required

 

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Coarctation of the Aorta

Coarctation of the Aorta is a narrowing of the oarta.  It may present itself as early as birth or in late childhood.  The signs are usually high blood pressure, or a higher blood pressure in the arms than in the legs.  Older children sometimes complain of leg cramps.  Surgery to correct this will equalize the blood pressure in the upper and lower extremities.  The surgery involves opening the chest through a left thoracotomy incision, removing the narrowed portion of the aorta, and reattaching the two ends of the aorta together.  This is also a curative operation.

 Repairs:

                                     Subclavian Flap 
 
 

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Blalock-Taussig Shunt 

A Blalock-Taussig Shunt or "BT Shunt" is used to help increase blood flow to the lungs in babies born with defects that obstruct blood flow to the lungs.  The surgery entails opening the chest either through a left or a right thoracotomy approach and placing a Gore-Tex tube form the innominate artery to the pulmonary artery.  This is a palliative procedure, meaning that in most cases the final repair will be done at a later date.

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