Congenital cardiac malformation in infants and children.
There were 51 deaths following cardiac operation in children under one year of age. Nearly all these children were operated upon without using a cardiopulmonary bypass. The commonest cause of death was intra- or postoperative cardiac arrest usually occurring in patients with complex cardiac anomalies. The second most commonest cause was repiratory deficiency. In children between the ages of 2 and 14 years (91 deaths in 1859 patients, i.e. a mortality of 4.64%), the commonest cause of death was cardio-vascular insufficiency usually caused by the operation. In patients with tetralogy of Fallot (147 deaths amongst 709 patients) one must distinguish between right sided and left sided cardiac insufficiency. Here the next commonest cause of death was bronchopneumonia with septicaemia usually as a result of long term artificial respiration. Other causes of death such as haemorrhages and embolic phenomena are much less important. In order to lower the mortality, better postoperative treatment in an intensive therapy unit especially for children undergoing cardiac operations is suggested.
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005860:Germany, West; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality*; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013771:Tetralogy of Fallot / Q000601:surgery