Open heart surgery in adults at Ramathibodi Hospital

Two hundred and thirty consecutive adult patients underwent open heart surgery at Ramathibodi Hospital from January 1, 1994 to December 31, 1995. The patients were categorised into 4 groups, A, B, C and D; consisting of 52 (22.4%) with adult congenital heart disease, 121 (52.2%) with acquired valvular heart disease 52 (22.4%) with coronary heart disease and 7 (3%) with diseases of the aorta. The mortality in various groups were analyzed separately each year, in 1994 and 1995. The overall mortality, in adult congenital heart disease, was 5.7 per cent consisting of acquired valvular heart disease (6.6%), coronary artery disease (CAD) (3.8%) and diseases of the aorta (14.2%). We found that the incidence of CAD and the patients underwent CABG were increasing. The overall mortality for open heart surgery in adults was 6 per cent. Though the number of patients who underwent open heart surgery did not truly represent all heart diseases, trends of coronary artery disease seem to be increasing. Risk factors of coronary artery disease and low mortality from CABG might be the main reasons that CABG has increased obviously.