Anesthetic techniques for specific cardiac pathology

Abstract

The current surgical goals for the repair of congenital heart defects in children are the anatomical separation of the pulmonary and systemic circulations without regurgitation or stenosis of any functional heart valves and the preservation of myocardial function. Advances in perioperative care have resulted in low morbidity and mortality in children undergoing heart surgery, and even for the most severe diagnosis of hypoplastic left heart syndrome, 70 % of patients are currently expected to survive to adulthood [1]. This chapter will focus on the anesthetic considerations for specific cardiac lesions and their surgical repair.