[Peroperative ultrafiltration in complete repair of ventricular septal defect in infants]

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Cardiology
• Cardiovascular Surgery
• Critical Care Medicine

Background:

• Ventricular septal defects (VSDs) in infants often lead to peroperative fluid overload, specifically extravascular lung water, increasing post-surgical morbidity.
• Surgical closure of VSDs is standard, but managing fluid balance remains a challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of intraoperative ultrafiltration on fluid overload and patient outcomes following VSD surgical correction in infants.
• To compare the conventional surgical approach with one incorporating ultrafiltration.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective comparison of 30 infants undergoing conventional VSD repair versus 32 infants who had ultrafiltration post-cardiopulmonary bypass.
• Data collected included biological parameters, hemodynamic status, morbidity, and mortality.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant differences were observed between the ultrafiltration and conventional groups in biological data, hemodynamic parameters, morbidity, or mortality.
• A clinical impression of smoother patient follow-up was noted in the group that received ultrafiltration.

Conclusions:

• Intraoperative ultrafiltration in infants undergoing VSD repair did not demonstrate a significant difference in short-term outcomes compared to conventional methods.
• The observed clinical impression of improved recovery warrants further investigation through prospective, randomized trials to confirm the potential benefits of ultrafiltration.