Letter by Schranz et al Regarding Article, “Comparison of the Profiles of Postoperative Systemic Hemodynamics and Oxygen Transport in Neonates After the Hybrid or the Norwood Procedure: A Pilot Study”

Abstract

To the Editor: We appreciate the novel technique applied by Li et al1 to assess continuously the hemodynamics and oxygen transport after the Norwood (n=13) and hybrid (n=6) procedures. The results obtained and the conclusions drawn, however, may be misleading in terms of the hybrid procedure in general. In most centers, the hybrid procedure is usually not performed as described here by Li et al but is instead a minimally invasive alternative to a Norwood stage I or Sano modification.2–4 The hybrid approach performed in our center in Giessen, Germany, consists of an operation in which bilateral pulmonary bands are placed through an open chest approach in the shortest amount of time possible with …