Play Safe: Band the Late Presenting Complete Atrioventricular Canal

Primary repair of complete atrioventricular canal in patients who present beyond one year of age carries a high mortality. Between January 1995 and February 2000, 16 patients aged 8 to 24 months (mean, 14.5 months) received pulmonary artery banding at presentation and underwent total correction at 24 to 96 months old (mean, 41.9 months). There was one hospital death (mortality, 6.25%). During a mean follow-up of 10.2 months (range, 6 to 28 months), there was no late death, 13 of the 15 survivors (87%) were in New York Heart Association functional class I, and 2 (13%) were in class III. In patients with complete atrioventricular canal who present late with severe reactive pulmonary hypertension, banding followed by complete repair reduces the risk associated with primary repair.