SURGICAL TREATMENT OF COARCTATION OF AORTA: REPORT OF THE SECTION ON CARDIOVASCULAR SURGERY, AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CHEST PHYSICIANS

• The life expectancy at birth of a patient with coarctation of the aorta is estimated at 32 years or less. Surgical correction requires the use of relatively uncommon and potentially hazardous techniques. Opinion is divided regarding the advantages of aortic homografts as compared with woven tubes of plastic fabric in bridging the defects left by resection of long coarcted segments. There were 138 operative deaths among 1,601 patients treated surgically. The most important cause of death was cardiovascular failure; second and third in order of importance were disruption of the anastomosis and hemorrhage. Mortalities were lower in the age group from 4 to 15 years than in the younger and older age groups. The over-all results were considered satisfactory in 96.3% of 1,405 patients from whom accurate data were obtained three months after operation.