Postinfarction Ventricular Septal Defect

Between January 1983 and January 1990, six patients (aged 35 tdo 69 years) underwent surgical repair of postinfarction ventricular septal defect. The operations were performed 3 to 75 days after the myocardial infarction. Our technique consisted of a transinfarction incision in the left ventricle, placement of a Teflon patch that closed the postinfarction ventricular septal defect and covered and revascularisation of the obstructed coronary vessels. Hospital mortality rate was 16.7 %. In the postooperative period, a hemodynamically nonsignificant residual VSD was found in one patient.