Key Points
- To assess long-term survival, clinical status, and hemodynamic outcomes in patients following surgical repair of ventricular septal defect.
- Retrospective cohort analysis of 341 patients who underwent operative correction of ventricular septal defect between 1954 and 1960.
- Postoperative cardiac catheterizations were performed in 140 patients, including 28 catheterized more than 5 years after surgery, with hemodynamic data compared to preoperative measurements.
- Operative or immediate postoperative mortality occurred in 71 patients (21%), and an additional 30 patients (9%) died following discharge, up to 14 years post-surgery.
- Comparison of preoperative and postoperative catheterization findings revealed no significant change in total pulmonary resistance.
- The majority of surviving patients were asymptomatic during late follow-up.
Structured PICO
PPopulation341 patients who underwent operative correction of ventricular septal defect at the University of Minnesota Hospitals from 1954 to 1960
IInterventionOperative correction of ventricular septal defect
CComparatorPreoperative baseline (for hemodynamic data)
OOutcomeMortality (operative, immediate postoperative, and late) and hemodynamic changes (total pulmonary resistance)hard clinical
Early era operative correction of ventricular septal defect carried significant mortality, and survivors showed no significant change in total pulmonary resistance, underscoring the importance of long-term follow-up.