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Development of a simple device enabling percutaneous flow regulation for a small vascular graft for a Blalock–Taussig shunt capable of flow regulation: complete translation of a review article originally published in Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery (154–159, 2016: vol. 32)

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A Correction to this article was published on 27 June 2018

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Abstract

Objectives

The Blalock–Taussig shunt (BTS) operation is a cornerstone as initial palliative surgery for congenital heart disease with severely reduced pulmonary blood flow (PBF). The ideal PBF provided by BTS is crucial for an uneventful postoperative course, since excess PBF results in acute distress of the systemic circulation and insufficient PBF requires another BTS surgery. Therefore, the goal of this study was to develop a simple device to control the shunt graft flow percutaneously using a constrictor balloon connected to a subcutaneous port.

Methods

The device consists of a cylindrical balloon and an anti-bending structure extension connected to the balloon center. A PTFE vascular graft wrapped by the device was connected to a simulated closed circuit to measure the relationship between pressure and blood flow while changing the inner volume of the balloon. In a beagle model of replacement of the right carotid artery, blood flow velocity was measured in the carotid artery after saline injection into the balloon. The blood flow velocity before and after balloon inflation was compared immediately after implantation of the device and at 3 months after implantation.

Results

The device provided good flow control by inflating and deflating the balloon ex vivo and in vivo for up to 3 months in a canine model with a small graft wrapped with the device.

Conclusions

The simple device developed in this study may enable regulation of PBF through a small vascular graft and help to prevent severe morbidity and mortality in the clinical setting of BTS.

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Change history

  • 27 June 2018

    In the original publication of the article, the title was incorrectly published.

References

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Atsuko Ueda, and Akiko Iritani for their help with management of animals and preparation for surgery. The results of this study were used in an application for a Japanese patent (JP2014/193286) on September 24, 2014.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka Medical College, 2-7 Daigaku-machi, Takatsuki, Osaka, 569-8686, Japan

    Yoshikazu Motohashi, Ryo Shimada, Tomoyasu Sasaki, Takahiro Katsumata & Shintaro Nemoto

  2. Tokai Medical Products Inc., 1485 Sarayashiki-Dengaku, Kasugai, Aichi, 486-0808, Japan

    Kazunori Dan & Yasuhiro Tsutsui

Authors
  1. Yoshikazu Motohashi
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  2. Ryo Shimada
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  3. Tomoyasu Sasaki
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  4. Takahiro Katsumata
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  5. Kazunori Dan
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  6. Yasuhiro Tsutsui
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  7. Shintaro Nemoto
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shintaro Nemoto.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Funding

This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (26870721).

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Motohashi, Y., Shimada, R., Sasaki, T. et al. Development of a simple device enabling percutaneous flow regulation for a small vascular graft for a Blalock–Taussig shunt capable of flow regulation: complete translation of a review article originally published in Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery (154–159, 2016: vol. 32). Gen Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 66, 145–149 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11748-017-0860-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11748-017-0860-3

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