Surgical Experience with Congenital Heart Disease at National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Karachi

Abstract

Material and Methods:

The study includes patients operated during period October, 1980 to November, 1981. The diagnosis was made on clinical, none—invasive echocardiographic and Cardiac Catheterization studies. Haemodynamic and angiographic studies were obtained in all patients undergoing Cardiopulmonary Bypass Surgery. The mortality was defined as intra-operat1e when patient died in the operating room, early if death occurred during the period of hospitalization and late, when death occurred 3 months postoperatively following discharge from the hospital.

Results:

A total of 507 patients were operated. One hundred and fifty eight of these had congenital cardiac malformations. I he age ranged between 0.3—60 years. One hundred and three patients were less than 1 2 years of’ age at the time of operation and fifty five were (Tale I)
greater than 12 years.

Discussion:

Our data show that significant number of our patients with congenital cardiac defects arc adolescent or adults. This is due to lack of early detection. In most medically organized SOCICtICS the diagnosis and treatment of Con genital Cardiac defects is undertaken within the first year of life. IntraCardiac repairs of congenital defects the newborn and infants is not yet done at  0ur Institute. Even in Western Countries only a few cent res are aquipped to deal with this group of patientsl3. We however perform shunt surgery for Cyanotic infants who have pulmonary stenosis and reduced Pulmonary blood flow. Our present experience gives us a frame work to develop increased expertise and high-lights areas needing improvement.