THE DIAGNOSIS OF CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE IN INFANTS BY CATHETERIZATION AND SELECTIVE ANGIOCARDIOGRAPHY

Abstract

The anasthetic and surgical techniques are now so highly developed that it is possible to operate on congenital heart disease even in infants. This is important progress, as about half the children with congenital malformations of the heart die before the age of one year: 30-40 per cent of these suffer from conditions that can theoretically be corrected by operation with the possibilities that now exist-a percentage that will probably increase in the years to come. It is thus an urgent task to try to diagnose these malformations as early as possible as surgical correction is frequently necessary and may be accomplished safely and successfully in this age group.