Experience in the corrective treatment of patients with atrioventricular septum.

INTRODUCTION: Atrioventricular septal defects are a wide spectrum of cardiac malformations, from partial until complete with one unique atrioventricular valve, atrioventricular valve communication, and leaky left heart valve. Its fast evolution to pulmonary vascular disease calls for early surgical management. Corrective treatment has a high percentage of re-operations and 8.6% mortality.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the results of corrective treatments of atrioventricular septum defects in our institution's patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Observational, cross-sectional, analytical, and retrospective study of the atrioventricular septum defect patients during the period from March 2013 until March 2015.

RESULTS: 51 atrioventricular septum defect patients were operated, nine with incomplete defect and 42 with complete defect, predominance type A of Rastell (35, 81.3%). Age at diagnosis was from 2.9 to 7.4 months; 82.3% of the patients have Down's syndrome. The cardiopathy with more association was the patient ductus arteriosus in 61.9% of cases. Average stay in intensive care was 3.8-9.9 days. Eight (15.6%) patients died.

CONCLUSION: Diagnosis and surgical treatment of atrioventricular septum defects in our institution it is made early. Results from surgical correction are comparable to that reported in the international literature.