PULMONARY BANDING FOR CONGENITAL HEART-DI SEASE - IMMEDIATE AND MEDIUM-TERM RESULTS IN 51 PATIENTS

The aim of this study was to assess the results of pulmonary artery ba nding in a retrospective study of 51 consecutive children treated from January 1980 to December 1993. The study population was 24 girls and 27 boys with an average age of 6.2 months, of average weight of 4.01 k g. The cardiac conditions treated were ventricular septal defects in 2 4 cases (isolated and associated with one or more cardiovascular malfo rmations or multiple), complete atrioventricular canal in 12 cases (is olated or associated with several cardiovascular malformations), singl e ventricle in 7 cases, double outlet right ventricle in 3 cases, tran sposition of the great arteries with ventricular septal defect in 2 ca ses, tricuspid atresia in 2 cases, and a complex lesion with double di scordance in one case. The average duration of banding was 2.35 years (n = 49). Hospital morality of banding was 1.9 % (1/51). Late mortalit y was 14.8 % (7/47). Twenty-one patients (42.8 %) had complications of banding. The survival rates of children who underwent banding was 86. 8 % at 1 year and 80.6 % at 11 years. The low hospital mortality leave s a role for pulmonary artery banding as a palliative procedure in con genital heart disease in which early correction is impossible or carri es and unacceptable risk. Complications of banding justify attempts to improve the technique, by making adjustable bands.