20-year follow-up and comparison of homografts with bovine jugular vein conduits in children less than 2 years of age

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Repair of congenital heart defects involving right ventricular outfl ow tract (RVOT) may require pulmonary valve replacement at time of primary repair or reoperation. This study compares the outcomes of cryopreserved homografts with bovine jugular vein conduits (BJVC) in children < 2 years of age with RVOT reconstruction. METHODS: Retrospective, single-center review of 70 conduits implanted in 63 patients undergoing right ventricle-to-pulmonary artery reconstruction with valved conduit from 2002 to 2022. RESULTS: A total of 70 conduits were implanted in 63 patients, with mean age of 4.5 ± 6.9 months (range 1 day -23.5 months). The following conduits were used; homografts 38 (54.2 %), BJVC 32 (45.8 %). During mean follow-up of 6.2 ± 5.6 years, there were 12 deaths, 24 conduit reoperations, and 25 catheter reinterventions. Overall survival, reoperation-free, and catheter reintervention-free survival at 15 years was 82.7 %, 31.2 %, and 25.7 %, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that low patient weight, age < 30 days at repair, ventilation time, and ICU length of stay were associated with increased risk of death. CONCLUSION: The performance of homografts and BJVC is comparable in patients < 2 years of age. Reoperation for conduit failure was not signifi cantly different between the two groups (Tab. 3, Fig. 3, Ref. 16).