Anesthetic technic using profound hypothermia for correction of congenital heart defects in infants and small children.

Profound hypothermia can be a useful adjunct in the intraoperative management of infants and small children undergoing surgical correction of congenital heart defects. A case description of a 5 1/2-month-old male infant with total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage who had successful repair using surface cooling, cardiopulmonary bypass, and pump cooling to 20 C with intermittent periods of low systemic blood flow illustrates the technic. Discussed are the value of surface cooling before cooling on cardiopulmonary bypass, physiologic changes affecting the intraoperative and postoperative course, and the major risks and advantages of the technic.