{"id":5492,"date":"2025-04-21T20:36:21","date_gmt":"2025-04-21T20:36:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/?page_id=5492"},"modified":"2025-07-08T18:17:54","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T18:17:54","slug":"ross-procedure-reinforcing-pulmonary-autograft-dacron","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/ross-procedure-reinforcing-pulmonary-autograft-dacron\/","title":{"rendered":"Ross Procedure Innovation: Reinforcing the Pulmonary Autograft with Dacron"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/ross-procedure-aortic-disease\">Ross Procedure<\/a>, also called the \u201cSwitch Procedure\u201d, is a promising option for children and young adults who need aortic valve replacement. The operation uses the patient\u2019s own pulmonary valve, known as an autograft, to replace the aortic valve. A tissue valve, or homograft, replaces the pulmonary valve.<\/p>\n<p>Given recent research, the Ross Procedure has been shown to provide patients a durable, long-term solution that won\u2019t require lifelong blood-thinning medications. However, the pulmonary autograft is under significantly more pressure in the aortic position which can create complications. For that reason, cardiac surgeons may reinforce the pulmonary autograft with a Dacron graft during surgery which may prevent possible reoperation.<\/p>\n<p>To learn more about reinforcement of the pulmonary autograft during the Ross Procedure, we spoke to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/surgeons\/dr-Christopher-Burke-Seattle-Washington.php\">Dr. Christopher Burke<\/a>, a leading Ross Procedure surgeon UW Medicine Heart Institute in Seattle, Washington. As a surgeon specializing in Ross operations, Dr. Burke recognizes several considerations and choices go into the surgery, including whether to reinforce the autograft. We were thrilled to have Dr. Burke share his thoughts on this important topic.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-lbJfe9JovQ?rel=0?si=JASDnxPDFz-RfA1U\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Pulmonary Autograft Reinforcement Using Dacron<\/h2>\n<p>Here are key insights shared by Dr. Burke:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What are complications of autograft dilation after a Ross Procedure? \u201cThis is a very hot topic these days,\u201d said Dr. Burke. \u201cOne of the things we\u2019ve known for a while is that over time, the autograft can dilate, and this can lead to aneurysms of the aortic root and aortic regurgitation and cause late failure and reoperation of the Ross Procedure.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>What do surgeons consider when planning to protect the autograft from dilation? \u201cSurgeons have thought about how to minimize the risk of late failure and reoperation,\u201d said Dr. Burke. \u201cOne of the ways we do it is by wrapping the autograft with the Dacron graft. There are a variety of techniques that one can use. This has the obvious advantages of protecting the autograft and preventing dilation. But, like anything, this comes with some potential drawbacks. It increases the technical complexity of an already complex operation, so you have to consider that. The coronary arteries can be a little bit of a challenge to place inside of a graft. And then one thing we don\u2019t know is how the delicate autograft leaflets tolerate the stiff, rigid structure over time.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-5497 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/..\/Images\/reinforced-pulmonary-autograft.jpg\" alt=\"Reinforced Pulmonary Autograft\" width=\"650\" height=\"364\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A personalized approach is the key to successful treatment. Dr. Burke explained that they have devised a tailored approach based on each patient\u2019s anatomy and specific factors. \u201cWe will really individualize how we treat and potentially wrap or protect the autograft,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause we know that a one-size-fits-all approach is probably not ideal. A lot of patients do perfectly well with just a freestanding autograft implant. So, we take our highest risk patients with aortic regurgitation or root aortic aneurysms and protect those patients with a Dacron wrap.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-5498 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/..\/Images\/wrapped-autograft-with-dacron.jpg\" alt=\"Wrapped Autograft with Dacron\" width=\"650\" height=\"360\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>During their conversation, Adam Pick, the founder of HeartValveSurgery.com, pointed out that he had a Ross Procedure with a Dacron graft. Adam told Dr. Burke, \u201cI\u2019m now nearly 20 years out from my Ross Procedure with no reoperation or reintervention.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Thanks Dr. Burke and UW Medicine!<\/h2>\n<p>On behalf of all the patients in our community, thank you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/surgeons\/dr-Christopher-Burke-Seattle-Washington.php\">Dr. Christopher Burke<\/a>, for everything you and your team are doing at the UW Medicine Heart Institute!<\/p>\n<p>Related links:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/ross-procedure-aortic-disease\">See the new Ross Procedure Patient Education Center<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/evolution-ross-procedure-program\/\">Ask Dr. Burke: Evolution of a Ross Procedure Program<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/heart-surgery-blog\/2024\/04\/28\/ross-procedure-pateint-christopher-burke-me\/\">Heart Warrior: Andy\u2019s Ross Procedure Patient Story<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Keep on tickin!<br \/>\nAdam<\/p>\n<p>P.S. For the deaf and hard-of-hearing members of our patient community, we have provided a written transcript of our interview with Dr. Burke below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"cms.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"class_list":["post-5492","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","category-ross-procedure"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5492"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5492\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5916,"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5492\/revisions\/5916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}