Double aortic arch and nasogastric tubes: A fatal combination

Double aortic arch is a common form of complete vascular ring that encircles both the trachea and the esophagus, and presents with various respiratory and esophageal symptoms, usually in the pediatric population. We present a case of double aortic arch in an adult patient that manifested as massive upper gastrointestinal bleeding after prolonged nasogastric intubation.

Minimally Invasive Surgical Technique in Double Aortic Arch with Distal Atretic Left-Side in Infant:From a Single-Surgeon Clinical Experience

Background:Double aortic arch(DAA)with distal left-sided aortic arch atresia(LAAA)can form complete vascular ring by ligamentum connection.We aimed to introduce an uncommon DAA-LAAA diagnosis and treatment by the minimally invasive surgical technique(MIST).Methods:We retrospectively reviewed 7 cases of DAA-LAAA that were treated from January 2017 to July 2021.All infant patients underwent surgical repair by minimally invasive surgical technique.Mean follow-up was 14.43 months(range,5–21 months).Results:There were seven patients with DAA-LAAA,including six males and one female.Median age was 19.29 months(range,9.0–29.0 months).Median weight was 11.30 kg(range,9.6–13.0 kg).Three patients were found severe tracheal compression by cardiac computed tomography angiography(cCTA).Six patients with isolated DAA-LAAA were performed operations through left subaxillary minithoracotomy,and one patient with ventricular septal defect(VSD)was performed operation concurrently under the cardiopulmonary bypass(CPB)through right subaxillary minithoracotomy.All patients had symptom improvement in the postoperative period and discharged successfully.Follow-up data showed good results in short-term.Conclusions:We introduce a new surgical pathway for DAA-LAAA treatment with good symptomatic relief in short-term.MIST is a safe,feasible and economical approach for infant patients.