Conduction system in cases of sudden death in congenital heart disease many years after surgical correction.

The conduction system and the entire heart were examined histologically in four patients with congenital heart disease who had surgery many years before they died suddenly. All were asymptomatic, in sinus rhythm and living normally. The sudden death may have been related to alterations in the conduction system, previously present, or introduced by the previous surgery, or related to inflammatory phenomena, an outgrowth of the previous surgery.