Background: The perioperative outcome of patients with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) seems to have
improved over the last four decades. Methods: To prove this hypothesis, we retrospectively
analysed the data of 269 TOF patients operated on between 1975 and 1999 in our institution.
Results: Over the years, younger patients (median age 1975 - 1980: 4.5 years, 1995 - 1999:
0.9 years) were operated on with a lower mortality (1975 - 1980: 8.6 %, 1995 - 1999:
2.4 %). Residual defects such as pulmonary stenosis or insufficiency and VSD occurred
with a similar frequency over time, whereas rhythm disturbances were significantly
reduced (1981 - 1985: 51.2 %, 1995 - 1999: 24.4 %, p = 0.012). Postoperative length
of hospital stay was significantly (p < 0.05) shorter in the years 1995 - 1999 (11.0
- 11.4 days) than in 1975 - 1980 (16.9 ± 16.5 days). Conclusions: Over time periods, there was a trend towards lower mortality and towards operating
on patients in a younger age. The rate of rhythm disturbances and the LOS after surgery
proved to be reduced during the last decade. These differences did not turn out to
be statistically significant. Therefore, we conclude that the time period of surgery
has only little impact on the early outcome of patients after definitive correction
of TOF.
Key words:
- Tetralogy of Fallot - Survival - Outcome - Surgical correction - Early results
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1 Results were presented at the 3rd Joint Meeting of the German, Austrian and Swiss Associations of Thoracic, Cardiac
and Vascular Surgery in Lucerne, Switzerland, February 9 - 12, 2000
Dr. Andreas Boening
Department of Cardiovascular Surgery
University Hospital
Arnold-Heller-Straße 7
24105 Kiel
Germany
Phone: +49 431 597-4400
Fax: +49 431 597-4402
Email: aboening@kielheart.uni-kiel.de
