Objectives: Right ventricular (RV) dysfunction and pulmonary insufficiency (PI) after tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) repair may contribute to early and late morbidity and mortality. RV dysfunction may be related to the ventriculotomy employed in the transventricular repair technique, particularly when it is combined with a transannular patch (TAP). Transatrial/transpulmonary (TA/TP) repair without ventriculotomy has been advocated as a method potentially diminishing such adverse events. However, the prevalence and early as well as the late results of these different surgical approaches in Europe have not been studied. To ascertain 'the current prevalence and associated early mortality' of various surgical approaches for repair of TOF, relevant data in the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery Congenital Database were analysed.
Methods: The study population was all types of reparative operations (n = 6654) for patients with primary diagnosis of TOF reported between 1999 and 2011.
Results: Overall hospital mortality (HM) was 2.58% (172 of 6654). Repair via ventriculotomy with TAP was the most prevalent technique (n = 3827, 57.5%), with HM 3.11%. Repair via ventriculotomy with non-TAP was performed in 1309 patients (19.7%, HM = 1.53%). Repair without ventriculotomy was performed in 1214 patients (18.2%, HM = 1.48%). Logistic regression analysis showed statistically significant association between HM risk and the type of surgery. In particular, ventriculotomy with TAP is associated with increased mortality risk significantly compared with ventriculotomy with non-TAP (crude odds ratio [OR] 2.13 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.33-3.63). Similar results were obtained by analysing for operative mortality risk (30-day mortality, OM). Operations that have been performed before 2005 have resulted in increased surgical risk compared with those performed after 2005 (ORs for OM 1.45, 95% CI: 1.03-2.013).
Conclusions: Overall HM for TOF repair is low. TOF repair by means of ventriculotomy with TAP is the most prevalent approach and is associated with higher mortality. Repair with ventriculotomy but no TAP and repair without ventriculotomy are both less prevalent and with lower mortality. Surgical risk appears to be decreasing over time.