Surgical treatment of a chronic postmyocardial infarction ventricular septal rupture.

The development of a postmyocardial infarction ventricular septal rupture is an uncommon but frequently fatal complication. Mortality with medical treatment only is extremely high. Septal rupture results in a left-to-right shunt, with right ventricular volume overload, increased pulmonary blood flow, and secondary volume overload of the left atrium and ventricle.  Surgical treatment consists of excluding rather than excising the infarcted septum and ventricular walls. This is accomplished by performance of a left ventriculotomy through the infarcted muscle and securing a glutaraldehyde-fixed bovine pericardium patch to the endocardium of the left ventricle all around the infarcted myocardium.