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Ann Thorac Surg 2006;81:788
© 2006 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

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Correspondence

Flap-Valve Closure of Ventricular Septal Defects

Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Carolinas Heart Institute, Carolinas Medical Center, 1001 Blythe Blvd, 300, Charlotte, NC 28203

(Email: tjohn{at}sanger-clinic.com).

To the Editor:

Novick and associates [1] present multi-institutional results of "flap-valve" closure of ventricular septal defects in patients with elevated pulmonary vascular resistance. The device is expected to allow decompression of the right heart by allowing (partial) reopening of the defect whenever the right ventricular pressure may exceed systemic levels, thus preventing acute right heart failure.

However, one should also remember the innovative genius Charles P. Bailey, who in 1959, at the very beginning of the era of open-heart surgery, applied flap-valves made of a compressed ring of polyvinyl sponge in 8 patients with atrial and ventricular septal shunts in whom the conventional closure appeared too risky because of severe pulmonary hypertension. Seven of the 8 patients in whom Bailey's device was used survived; the device was affectionately called the "toilet-seat patch" by his contemporaries. There was a gradual decrease of the pulmonary artery pressure and eventually total or near total closure of the defect [2].

As far as we know, despite these initial good results, no one has used this method since then. It is a welcome event to see the rebirth of this technique, the value of which has been proven again by Novick and associates [1].

	References

Top References

 

1. Novick WM, Sandoval N, Lazorhysynets VV, et al. Flap valve patch closure of ventricular septal defects in children with increased pulmonary vascular resistance Ann Thorac Surg 2005;79:21-28.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
2. Larios R, Fitch EA, Blanco G, Bailey CP. The use of an artificial foraminal valve prosthesis in the closure of interatrial and interventricular septal defects Dis Chest 1959;36:631-641.[Medline]

This article has been cited by other articles:

				B. Zhang, S. Wu, J. Liang, G. Zhang, G. Jiang, M. Zhou, and X. Li Unidirectional Monovalve Homologous Aortic Patch for Repair of Ventricular Septal Defect With Pulmonary Hypertension Ann. Thorac. Surg., June 1, 2007; 83(6): 2176 - 2181. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				W. Novick Reply Ann. Thorac. Surg., February 1, 2006; 81(2): 788 - 789. [Full Text] [PDF]

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Author home page(s): Francis Robicsek Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Robicsek, F. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Robicsek, F. Related Collections Congenital - cyanotic Related Article