The arterial switch procedure for transposition of the great arteries.

Transposition of the great arteries is the most common congenital heart defect among the birth defects that present with cyanosis during the early neonatal period. Infants with this cardiac birth defect, in which the aorta originates from the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery originates from the left ventricle, usually do not survive without surgical intervention in the first few days of life. The arterial switch procedure, performed via a median sternotomy incision during cardiopulmonary bypass, restores the aorta and pulmonary artery to their normal anatomic positions.

The modified Bentall procedure for aortic root replacement.

The Bentall procedure is a surgical repair of an ascending aortic or aortic root aneurysm in combination with aortic valve disease. Less commonly, it is used to repair aortic dissection affecting the aortic root and valve. During the procedure, a composite aortic valve graft is used to replace the proximal ascending aorta and aortic valve.

Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy for thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

Pulmonary artery thromboendarterectomy (PTE) is a surgical procedure that offers the only cure for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (TPH), a progressive form of secondary pulmonary hypertension. Current estimates indicate that 1% to 5% of patients who survive a pulmonary embolus will develop chronic TPH with progressively worsening pulmonary hypertension and right-sided heart failure. This bilateral procedure is performed through a sternotomy incision using cardiopulmonary bypass, profound hypothermia, and intermittent circulatory arrest with antegrade cerebral perfusion.