Comparative outcome analysis of direct anastomosis and bovine pericardial patch augmentation techniques in arch reconstruction for paediatric patients.

Introduction: The treatment for proximal aortic arch hypoplasia in paediatric patients is still controversial. While some authors favours direct tissue anastomosis, others state that patch augmentation may also be a good alternative. The aim of this study is to compare the results of arch reconstructions using bovine pericardium with the direct anastomosis technique.

Materials and method: Paediatric patients who underwent arch reconstruction via median sternotomy between 2019 and 2023 were evaluated. Patients were divided into two groups according to the repair method of arch reconstructions: direct native tissue anastomosis and bovine pericardial patch augmentation. Using perioperative data, the relationship between the surgical method and postoperative morbidity, in-hospital mortality, and the risks for early reintervention was investigated.

Results: Between August 2019 and August 2023, 38 paediatric patients underwent arch reconstruction. The average age and weight of the patients were 40 days (15-157.5 days, interquartile) and 3.78 kg (3.2-6.0 kg, interquartile range), respectively. While completely native tissue anastomosis was applied in 18 of the patients (47.4%), bovine pericardial patch was used in arch reconstruction in 20 patients (52.6%). Cross-clamp time was found to be significantly longer in patients using bovine patches (p = .016). No difference was detected between the two surgical methods in terms of postoperative mortality and morbidity factors (p > .05). There was no significant difference between the two surgical procedures in terms of reintervention in the early period after discharge (p = .177).

Conclusion: Although early results of both reconstruction techniques may be promising, their reliability needs to be evaluated in detail with large-scale prospective studies.