The Neonatal Arterial Switch Operation: Technical Pearls

The neonatal arterial switch operation has become the standard of care for transposition of the great arteries, including transposition with intact ventricular septum, transposition with ventricular septal defect with or without aortic arch hypoplasia, and double outlet right ventricle with subpulmonary ventricular septal defect (Taussig-Bing anomaly). While technically demanding, the operation is enormously gratifying and exciting for the congenital heart surgeon. In the current era, outcomes and expectations for the neonatal arterial switch operation are extremely high with many centers, including our own, reporting 30-day or hospital survivorship approaching 100%. Long-term results are also outstanding, although these patients do require lifelong follow-up and have the potential for need of remedial surgical intervention.