paten t du ctus art eriosus: surgical complications, morbidity and mortality in 510 patients

in this retrospective study, 510 infants and children with patent ductus arteriosus (pda) who underwent surgery at the shahid rajai heart hospital in tehran were evaluated to determine the rate of surgical complications, morbidity and mortality. 30 patients (6%) developed minor to major complications postoperatively. four patients who had undergone pda ligation without division required reoperation due to recanalization of the ductus. in one patient, the left pulmonary artery was mistakenly ligated instead of the ductus, requiring reoperation and correction. there were two mortalities (0.4%), both in patients with pulmonary hypertension. four patients (0.8%) developed bacterial endocarditis with positive blood cultures. the frequency of complications in our group of patients is in accordance with that of the literature. we conclude that patent ductus arteriosus, when diagnosed and treated early, can yield excellent results with very little complications. delay in diagnosis and treatment, especially when associated lesions coexist, significantly increases the rate of complications, morbidity and mortality.