Pulmonary Artery Banding Surgical Protocol

PAB was induced by surgical placement of a 1.3 mm pulmonary arterial (PA) band. Median sternotomy was performed, and the PA was dissected free from the aorta and left atrium. A silk suture was placed around the PA, and a loose knot was formed. A 16-gauge needle was inserted through the knot, parallel to the PA. The suture was tied tightly, and the needle was withdrawn, creating a stenosis equal to the needle’s diameter (1.6 mm) [21 (link)]. Doppler echocardiography was performed and analyzed using a Vevo 2100 high-resolution imaging system with a 21-MHz transducer (VisualSonics, Toronto, ON, Canada) 4 weeks after PAB injection and before invasive pressure assessments [22 (link)]. Light anesthesia with 10% chloral hydrate was used to obtain two-dimensional M-mode Doppler imaging in both the long-axis (four-chamber) and short-axis views. The RV internal dimension at end diastole (RVIDd), RV anterior wall thickness (RVAWT), RV diastolic area (RVDA), RV fractional area change (RVFAC), left ventricular internal dimension at end diastole (LVIDd), left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) and left ventricle end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) were measured.