Postoperative assessment of residual defects following cardiac surgery in infants and children. II. Ventricular septal defects

65 patients underwent surgical closure of a ventricular septal defect prior to 16 years of age between 1968 and 1971. The overall surgical mortality rate was 10.8%, with a significantly higher mortality in those with prior or concomitant pulmonary hypertension (22%). 47 of the 58 survivors (81%) had a postoperative cardiac catheterization. Their preoperative and postoperative clinical evaluations, electrocardiograms and chest roentgenograms were reviewed to correlate the predictive ability of postoperative catheterization findings. The accuracy of clinical prediction of the completeness of closure of the defects were determined primarily and effectively by auscultation of the quality and intensity of the murmur.