The Outcome of VSD Repair in Older Children and Adults

Objective: To evaluate the outcome of surgical repair of VSD in older children and adults. Methods: It is a retrospective study of 47 patients who underwent VSD repair by the authors during a period of 5-years. The patients included 35 boys and 12 girls. The data was retrieved from the electronic database. The numeric variables were summarized as mean, median and standard deviation while the categoric variables were presented as frequency and percentage. Results: The mean age was 10.57 years and mean body weight at the time of operation was 24.55 kg. The commonest variety of VSD was perimembranous which was found in 33 patients. The preoperative values of haemoglobin, left ventricular dimensions, Ejection Fraction and central venous pressure were within normal range. Six patients had severe pulmonary hypertension (PA pressure >60mmHg). Seven patients needed valve repair or replacement in addition to VSD repair. The mean bypass and aortic cross clamp times were 88.21 and 56.87 minutes respectively. The mean ICU stay was 32.28 hours and the median hospital stay was 7 days. Postoperative complications were observed in 12 patients. Five patients had residual VSDs, one patient developed complete heart block and six patients showed moderate tricuspid regurgitation. Conclusion: VSD repair can be conducted in older children & adults with as good results as in infants.