Open Heart Surgery under Hypothermia

Abstract

(1) It would be physiological to keep the temperature of the thoracic region higher than that of the body surface under hypothermia. This consequently would exert a favorable influence on the general circulatory condition. Therefore it would be reasonable to cool from the body surface and rewarm it from the thoracic cavity. We had always used the intrathoracic rewarming.
(2) We proved in the animal experiments that hypothermia could safely be applied even to the subject with damaged myocardium when we employed intrathoracic rewarming.
(3) Ventricular fibrillation was prevented in almost all cases by selecting the drugs for anesthesia and proper use of prostigmine, and, when it did occur, was easily stopped by electric shock.
(4) We had performed 43 operations on total of 41 patients and completely cured all but 2 cases of tetralogy of Fallot.
(5) The safe time limit for cardiac occlusion under intermediate hypothermia is believed to be about 15 minutes.