Adult cyanotic congenital heart disease: surgical experience

Cyanotic congenital heart diseases constitute about 10 percent of total congenital heart disease cases in adults in the developing world. Prolonged cyanosis and old age adversely affect the outcome of surgery, thus posing a challenge to the cardiac surgeons. This study was conducted to assess the feasibility, safety and outcome of surgery in this group of patients. From January 1991 to December 1997, a total of 303 patients, aged 14 to 54 years (mean 19.8 +/- 1.5 years) with diagnosis of various cyanotic congenital heart diseases were operated at our institute. There were 210 males (69.3%). Two hundred and forty-seven patients (81.5%) had tetralogy of Fallot's physiology, 51 patients (16.8%) had single ventricle physiology and five (1.6%) had other lesions. Sixty-six patients (21.7%) had pre-operative complications such as haemoptysis, epistaxis, cerebrovascular accidents, brain abscess and infective endocarditis. Sixty patients (19.8%) had previous palliative shunts and 26 patients (8.5%) had coil embolisation of major aortopulmonary collaterals prior to surgery; 229 patients (75.5%) underwent biventricular repair, 52 (17.1%) had univentricular repair, 22 (7.7%) had palliative shunts and one patient had open ligation of a major aortopulmonary collateral in addition. In-hospital mortality was 3.3 percent. Follow-up period ranged from five months to seven years (mean 4.2 +/- 1.8 years). There were two late deaths. Of the 291 survivors, 11 were lost to follow-up. Two hundred and fifty-eight patients (92.1%) are in New York Heart Association class I. Significant residual defects warranting reoperation were present in four patients (1.3%). It is concluded that congenital heart surgery in older cyanotic patients can be performed safely with satisfactory results.