Five-year postoperative results of first 500 patients with Blalock-Taussig anastomosis for pulmonary stenosis or atresia

The evaluation of surgical corrective procedures depends to an important degree on the long-term benefits derived from the operation. Three hundred and eighty-nine of the first 500 patients with a Blalock-Taussig anastomosis for pulmonary stenosis or atresia survived 6 months or longer. Detailed information is now available on 244 of these patients, who were originally improved by operation and who have been followed for 5 years or longer. The results obtained on patients with tetralogy of Fallot are compared with those with other malformations. The alteration of the size of the heart over a period of years has been studied. A comparison between the preoperative and postoperative hemograms and arterial oxygen saturations is presented. The optimum age for operation, the causes of late deaths, and the incidence of bacterial endocarditis are discussed.