OBJECTIVETo summarize the experience with surgical correction of tetralogy of Fallot in adults over 40 years of age.

METHODSFrom November 1985 to July 2008, 9 male and 11 female patients aged 41-53 years (mean 46.3±3.5 years) underwent total surgical correction for tetralogy of Fallot. Twelve patients had preoperative NYHA class III cardiac function. The common comorbidities included infective endocarditis, cerebral abscess, cerebral infarction, renal dysfunction, and tricuspid insufficiency. Surgical corrections were carried out at the anatomical or physiological level.

RESULTSNineteen patients received right ventriculotomy to relieve right ventricular outflow obstruction and for ventricular septal defect closure, and 1 patient had Fontan operation. Two patients died after the surgery for heart failure and ventricular fibrillation. The average cardiopulmonary bypass time, aortic clamp time, and postoperative ventilation time was 142.9±36.3 min, 89.9±25.1 min, and 72.0±17.5 h, respectively. Postoperative low cardiac output syndrome occurred in 5 cases, septic shock in 1 case, secondary renal failure in 1 case, and bleeding in 2 cases. Echocardiography showed a significant postoperative reduction of the mean right ventricular outflow tract velocity from 4.29±1.36 m/s to 2.13±0.83 m/s (P<0.01); the right ventricular longitudinal dimension exhibited no significant changes postoperatively (57.1±6.7 mm vs 55.1±7.0 mm, P=0.65).

CONCLUSIONSSurgical correction of the tetralogy of Fallot in patients over 40 years is highly risky and requires appropriate management of cardiac failure, careful myocardial protection, and thorough intracardiac lesion correction to decrease surgical complications.