Retrospective Study of Complete Atrioventricular Canal Defects: Anesthetic and Perioperative Challenges

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to highlight anesthetic and perioperative management and the outcomes of infants with complete atrioventricular (AV) canal defects. DESIGN: This retrospective descriptive study included children who underwent staged and primary biventricular repair for complete AV canal defects from 1999 to 2013. SETTING: A single-center study at a university affiliated heart center. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and fifty-seven patients with a mean age at surgery of 125 ± 56.9 days were included in the study. About 63.6% of them were diagnosed as Down syndrome. Mean body weight at surgery was 5.6 ± 6.3 kg. METHODS: Primary and staged biventricular repair of complete AV canal defects. Measurements and main results: A predefined protocol including timing of surgery, management of induction and maintenance of anesthesia, cardiopulmonary bypass, and perioperative intensive care treatment was used throughout the study. Demographic data as well as intraoperative and perioperative Intensive Care Unit (ICU) data, such as length of stay in ICU, total duration of ventilation including reintubations, and total length of stay in hospital and in hospital mortality, were collected from the clinical information system. Pulmonary hypertension was noted in 60% of patients from which 30% needed nitric oxide therapy. Nearly 2.5% of patients needed permanent pacemaker implantation. Thorax was closed secondarily in 7% of patients. In 3.8% of patients, reoperations due to residual defects were undertaken. Duration of hospital stay was 14.5 ± 4.7 days. The in-hospital mortality was 0%. CONCLUSION: Protocolized perioperative management leads to excellent outcome in AV canal defect repair surgery.