Use of profound hypothermia induced by surface cooling in open-heart surgery.

Profound hypothermia with body-surface cooling for use in open-heart surgery is considered a difficult anesthetic technique because of the problems of controlling ether anesthesia. This paper describes our hypothermia technique in detail, with emphasis on its particular usefulness in open-heart procedures in neonates and infants. The results are based on our experience with 281 consecutive patients. Guidelines for safe and effective performance of this technique were established on the basis of continuous monitoring of the electrocardiogram, electroencephalogram, and arterial blood pressure. We conclude from our experience that open-heart operation under profound hypothermia is a safe, effective, and extremely promising method.