The Blalock-Taussig shunt in the newborn infant.

Children with pulmonary oligemia often require palliation in the newborn period. The Blalock-Taussig shunt has been shown to offer adequate palliation in the older child, but its use in the newborn period remains controversial. A retrospective review of 51 neonates younger than age 2 weeks undergoing a Blalock-Taussig shunt (or modification) was performed. The operative mortality rate was 5.8%. Six children (15.4%) required reoperation in the first year of life for inadequate shunt function. The modification with interposition grafts necessitated reoperation more often than shunts performed with the subclavian artery.