HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Okur, F. F. Articles by Tekdoan, M. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Okur, F. F. Articles by Tekdoan, M.

Blalock-Taussig Shunt Using Fresh Saphenous Vein Homograft

Faik Fevzi Okur, MD, Vedide Tavli, MD^1,, Bekir Kayhan, MD, Mustafa Kirman, MD, Cenk Sinan Atalay, MD, Mehmet Tekdoan, MD

Department of Cardiac Surgery 1 Department of Pediatric Cardiology ifa Heart Center I•zmir, Turkey

For reprint information contact: Faik Fevzi Okur, MD Tel: 90 232 446 3738 Fax: 90 232 446 0770 Fevzi Paa Bulvari 172/2, Basmane, I•zmir 35240, Turkey

The occurrence of life-threatening early and late complications following the use of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene grafts for modified Blalock-Taussig shunts prompted the application of saphenous vein homografts instead. In 21 patients with cyanotic congenital heart disease, fresh saphenous vein homografts were used for Blalock-Taussig shunts from February 1998. The veins were obtained from blood-group matched patients undergoing coronary bypass grafting in the next operating room. There was no early or late mortality. Clinical and echocardiographic studies showed that all shunts were patent and functioning well at an average follow-up of 11 months. This simple homograft technique has no ischemic time and requires no chemical or antibiotic contact.