Partial atrioventricular canal defect in elderly patients (aged 60 years or older)

Partial atrioventricular canal defect in elderly patients (aged 60 years or older) is extremely rare, and surgical results in this select group have not been reported. This report describes in detail the clinical profile of six such patients and the surgical results in four of the six. There was no operative mortality. This experience, albeit based on small numbers, suggests that operation can be performed at low risk with gratifying symptomatic improvement and that surgical repair in symptomatic elderly patients with partial atrioventricular canal detect can be justified.