Cyanotic heart diseases are relatively rare, but they are severe and
heterogeneous congenital heart diseases, which require complex surgery.
Development of different advanced surgical procedures, such as arterial
switch operation (ASO), Fontan and its modifications, Norwood etc.
operations, as well as better perioperative care significantly improved
survival rate and quality of life of these children. The study group included
308 children treated for cyanotic heart disease in Yugoslavia, in the period
January 2000 to July 2004. Some of them (239, 77.6%) were treated at the
University Children?s Hospital in Belgrade, and others (69, 22.4%) in
different institutions abroad. The age of the operated patients varied
between 1 day and 19 years (median 12 months). The patients (pts) were
divided into four groups, according to the disease and type of the operation.
In the whole group of 308 patients treated due to cyanotic heart disease,
there were 232 (75.3%) cases with open heart surgery and 76 (24.7%) with
closed procedures. The mortality rate was significantly different between
disease/operation groups, and age groups. Average mortality rates differed
from 11.8% for palliative procedures to 12.5% for complete corrections.
Mortality rate and achieved surgical results in treatment of chil?dren with
cyanotic heart diseases were significantly worse than those published by
leading cardiac surgery centers in the world. However, there is a clear
tendency in introducing new surgical procedures, lowering the age at which
the operation is done and decreasing the mortality rates.
Special Imaging Casebook: Congenital Neuroblastoma and Cyanotic Heart Disease
