Clinical Problems Related to Surgical Repair of Intracardiac Defects with the Aid of an Extracorporeal Pump-Oxygenator

Abstract

The medical problems in the selection of patients for direct-vision reconstructive operations utilizing the pump-oxygenator of the Gibbon type are discussed. The evaluation of the pulmonary vascular changes is one of the most important medical tasks in many cases. The operative risk for such lesions as ventricular septal defect with high pulmonary flow, tetralogy of Fallot, pulmonary stenosis with intact ventricular septum, and atrial septal defect of the partial atrioventricular canal type is constantly decreasing and is 15 per cent or less at the present time. Heart block and cardiac arrhythmias are still, on occasion, serious postoperative complications. During 1 period of 3 months, subacute bacterial endocarditis (Pseudomonas) occurred in 4 patients but it has not recurred since.