Anatomic Studies of the Cardiac Conduction System in Congenital Malformations of the Heart

Abstract

A frequent and serious complication of certain intracardiac procedures is heart block, produced by operative injury to the conduction pathways. The anatomic relationship of the conduction system to cardiac defects has previously been studied only in isolated cases of heart block. This report deals with a study, by means of serial sections and reconstructions, of the relationships of the atrioventricular node and bundle to a variety of congenital defects in the area of the membranous ventricular septum.