Postinfarction ventricular septal defect. An efficacious technique for early surgical repair.

Between December 1982 and June 1987, seven consecutive patients (52 to 77 years old) underwent early surgical repair of postinfarction ventricular septal defect. The defect was diagnosed 3 to 10 days after the myocardial infarction. A new repair technique was used which stresses that no part of the infarcted septum be resected. This technique consists of a transinfarction incision in the left ventricle, placement of a fine Dacron fabric patch that covers all the infarcted septum and closes the ventricular septal defect, and placement of a second Dacron fabric patch that reinforces the infarcted anterior wall of the heart and supports the buttressed double suture closure of the left ventriculotomy. One very ill patient of this series died during the operation (mortality rate 14.3%). Three patients required the help of intraaortic balloon counterpulsation postoperatively, and five needed inotropic drug support. None of the patients had excessive bleeding. Two initial patients had a small left-to-right interventricular shunt. Postoperative angiographic studies and Doppler echocardiography confirmed the existence of a nonsignificant residual ventricular septal defect in these two patients and showed good geometry of the left ventricle with no aneurysm formation in all six survivors. This technique seems to be efficacious. It can be expeditiously performed, and the risks of postoperative complications related to the technique appear to be minimal.