The development of operations for transposition of the great arteries (TGA) culminating in the eventual success of the arterial switch operation (ASO) remains one of the most intriguing demonstrations of ingenuity in the history of cardiac surgery. Very early attempts at switching the great arteries were daring but unsuccessful. This early lack of success with the ASO proved daunting, and yielded to “venous” switches, with increasing success. These venous switches evolved into the atrial baffle procedures, which began in the first golden age of TGA surgery of the 1960s and 1970s. The continued quest for an anatomic correction resulted in other clever operations before the modern era of the ASO.
BaillieMCliftW.A series of engravings, accompanied with explanations, which are intended to illustrate the morbid anatomy of some of the most important parts of the body; divided into ten fasciculi. London, England: W Bulmer and Co; 1799:23 (Plate VI).
2.
BlalockAHanlonCR.The surgical treatment of complete transposition of the aorta and pulmonary artery. Surg Gynecol Obstet. 1950;90(1):1–15.
3.
WestabyS.Palliation and correction of congenital heart defects. In: WestabySBosherC (Eds.), Landmarks in Cardiac Surgery. Oxford, UK: Isis Medical Media; 1997:128–129.
4.
MustardWTChuteALKiethJDSirekARoweRDVladP.The surgical approach to transposition of the great vessels with extracorporeal circuit. Surgery. 1954;36(1):39–51.
5.
EvanWN.The arterial switch operation before Jatene. Pediatr Cardiol. 2009;30(2):119–124.
6.
LielleheiCWVarcoRL.Certain physiological, pathological, and surgical features of complete transposition of the great vessels. Surgery. 1953;34(3):376–400.
7.
KonstantinovIEAlexi-MeskishviliVVWilliamsWGFreedomRMVan PrassghR.Atrial switch operation: past present, and future. Ann Thorac Surg. 2004;77(6):2250–2258.
8.
BaffesTG.A new method for surgical correction of the transposition of the aort and pulmonary artery. Surg Gynecol Obstet. 1956;102(2):227–233.
9.
KayEBCrossFS.Surgical treatment of transposition of the great vessels. Surgery. 1955;38(4):712–716.
10.
SenningÅ.Surgical correction of transposition of the great vessels. Surgery. 1959;45(6):966–980.
11.
MustardWTKeithJDTruslerGAFowlerRKiddL.The surgical management of transposition of great arteries. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 1964;48:678–680.
12.
RastelliGC.A new approach to “anatomic” repair of transposition of the great arteries. Mayo Clin Proc. 1969;44(1):1–12.
13.
JateneADFontesVFPaulistaPP. Successful anatomic correction of transposition of the great vessels. A preliminary report. Arq Bras Cardiol. 1975;28(4):461–464.
14.
JacobsJPO’BrienSMPasqualiSKRichardE.. Clark Paper: Variation in Outcomes for Benchmark Operations: An analysis of the STS Congenital Heart Surgery Database. Richard Clark Award recipient for best use of the STS Database. Ann Thorac Surg. ;In review
