Surgical Correction in Infancy To Reduce Mortality in Transposition of the Great Arteries

Abstract
The mortality for infants with transposition fo the great arteries (TGA) prior to the introduction of medical and surgical septostomy was over 80% by 6 mo. of age. The mortality has fallen recently, due to balloon atrial septostomy (BAS), but still exceeds 25% by 6 mo. of age in major centers. The cumulative mortality rises to 40% by 1 yr of age with or without additional surgical atrial septectomy. In this center, 12 patients with an average age of 3 mo. were operated on for interatrial baffle correction of their TGA under surface-induced deep hypothermia. BAS was done preliminarily in those patients without an adequate atrial communication. Ten of these 12 patients (83%) survived. These patients were followed up from 1 mo.-8 yr with an average follow-up of over 4 yr. Surgical correction during infancy offers a better survival rate for infants with TGA than does medical management, with or without palliative surgery.

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