Late pulmonary valve implantation after repair of tetralogy of Fallot.

Ten cases of elective late pulmonary valve implantation after repair of tetralogy of Fallot were reviewed. The interval after initial repair ranged from 1.5 to 43 years (mean, 20.0 +/- 12.3 years). There was no hospital mortality or late death during a mean follow-up of 12.5 months. Preoperatively, 9 patients were in New York Heart Association functional class III-IV; after pulmonary valve implantation, all 10 patients were in class I-II (average improvement, 1.7 classes). Left ventricular ejection fraction improved significantly (from 62.1% +/- 4.7% to 70.2% +/- 4.9%), as did fractional shortening (from 34.0% +/- 5.0% to 40.0% +/- 4.2%). Right ventricular diameter decreased significantly (from 32.3 +/- 7.5 to 24.4 +/- 5.4 mm). QRS duration decreased significantly (155.2 +/- 27.1 vs. 140.0 +/- 21.2 msec), but there was no significant difference in QT interval (460.9 +/- 29.6 vs. 451.9 +/- 50.6 msec). Hospital stay was 4-7 days. One patient had preoperative ventricular fibrillation requiring resuscitation and an implantable cardiac defibrillator; another needed a defibrillator at the time of pulmonary valve implantation, because of ventricular arrhythmias. It was concluded that late pulmonary valve implantation after tetralogy of Fallot repair had significant benefits and carried low operative risk.