[Indications for hypothermia in the surgery of congenital heart defects and the results of its use].

The authors operated 1056 patients on "dry" heart under the conditions of hypothermia. The total lethality constituted 4.5%. Since 1970 they have been applying craniocerebral hypothermia method using the apparatus "Kholod-2F". Secondary failures of the interatrial septum and valve stenosis of the pulmonary artery in patients aged from 18 to 20 are the most common indications for operation. 450 and 248 patients, respectively, were operated upon; lethality was 3.7% and 4%. The 16 years' experience with the superficial hypothermia in the correction of congenital heart diseases has proved this method to be highly effective and economical one, allowing to obtain quite favourable results after a thorough preoperative diagnosis and strict selection of patients.