Intracardiac closure of ventricular septal defect in an infant using cardiopulmonary bypass (Hebrew)

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a major cause of death in infancy. Ventricular septal defect (VSD) as an isolated lesion or in combination with other cardiac anomalies is the most common form of CHD. Infants with VSD, suffering from intractable heart failure or failure to thrive, require operation in order to survive. The surgical approach may be a palliative one in which the pulmonary artery is banded and definitive correction deferred to a second stage. With recent advances in the technique of open heart surgery and improved postoperative care, VSD may also be closed primarily, even in the very young, using cardiopulmonary bypass. A 4 mth old infant with VSD unresponsive to vigorous medical treatment, who underwent unsuccessful pulmonary artery banding, is presented. Some wk later, intracardiac closure of the VSD was carried out using cardiopulmonary bypass; 16 mth later the child was well and thriving.