Anaesthetic management of congenital heart block and persistent ductus arteriosus in an infant.

Ketamine hydrochloride, pancuronium bromide and 100% oxygen were used during general anaesthesia for a left antero-lateral thoracotomy, insertion of a permanent cardiac pace-maker and ligation of a persistent ductus arteriosus in a three-month-old female infant, who was also in congestive cardiac failure. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of successful anaesthetic management for insertion of cardiac pace-maker and ligation of persistent ductus arteriosus under general anaesthesia in a Nigerian infant. The successful out-come of our anaesthetic technique encourages us to recommend the procedure for the anaesthetic management of similar complex cardiac abnormalities.