Complete atrioventricular septal defects: the influence of associated cardiac anomalies on surgical management and outcome

Objective. Major asso- ciated cardiac anomalies are known to increase the risk of repair of com- plete atrioventricular septal defects (CAVSDs). The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of such anomalies on the current surgi- cal management of CAVSDs and their influence on outcome following repair. Methods. We performed a retrospec- tive review of a 100 consecutive non-isomeric patients undergoing repair of CAVSD at our institution, between January 1989 and December 1994; patients with partial or inter- mediate defects were excluded. Complete atrioventricular septal de- fect patients with other major cardiac abnormalities (complex) were then compared to those with isolated CAVSDs.