The surgical treatment of Fallot's tetralogy

Summary

In brief our present programme is to close the ventricular septal defect in Fallot only where we feel this can be achieved with safety. Where we believe the outflow tract, pulmonary bed and left heart to be inadequate, we prefer a deliberate closed resection of the infundibular obstruction. In these latter cases the immediate mortality is low, the clinical results are gratifying and we hope that the haemodynamic and anatomical state resulting will be that of acyanotic Fallot or ventricular septal defect.

A later second stage closure of this ventricular septal defect can then be accomplished with a low mortality.