title: Surgical treatment of truncus arteriosus, with emphasis on infants and small children.
abstract: Two of 10 children with truncus arteriosus, Type I, II, less than 2 years of age, 6 of 7 between 2 and 5 years of age, and all 5 older than 5 years survived after complete repair. Five of the nine hospital deaths are believed related to inadequate intra- and postoperative management. One late death has occurred 42 months postoperatively. The low hospital mortality rates in those 2 years of age and older, good long-term results to date, and the poor prognosis of children not operated upon indicate the advisability of elective repair at age 2 to 3 years. Although results in infants less than 2 years old have not been good, current improvements of intra- and postoperative care and the lack of a better alternative suggest that prompt primary repair is indicated for infants with intractable heart failure or increasing pulmonary vascular resistance.
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000209:etiology; D007223:Infant; D011182:Postoperative Care; D011379:Prognosis