[Intensive care for newborns and infants after anatomic correction of transposition of great vessels].

A retrospective study was made in 48 babies undergone an arterial switching operation at the Bakulev Research Center of Cardiovascular Surgery in January 2004 to September 2005. Their age at surgery was 5 days to 11 months; body weight, 3.9 +/- 1.1 kg (2.4-8.7 kg). According to the course of a postoperative period, the patients were divided into 2 groups: 1) 28 (58.3%) neonates with simple transposition of great vessels (TGV) and older babies (above 3 weeks of life) with simple TGV; 2) 20 (41.6%) patients with TGV + ventricular septal defect. The postoperative management of all the patients was based on the delayed bringing the sternum together in babies at risk for close mediastinum syndrome, on the reduction in left and right ventricular afterload with the mean blood pressure (BPmean) minimally sufficient to maintain adequate coronary blood flow and diuresis, by using inodilatators and nitric oxide (II) and by limiting the volume of administered fluid. The sternum was primarily brought together in 20 (41.6%) patients, in 13 (27.1%) on day 2. Sternal separation was required in 1 patient from Group 1 on postoperative day 2. The duration of artificial ventilation was 3.3 +/- 5.2 days (0.7-15 days); the length of stay in an intensive care unit was 4.8 +/- 8.2 days (1-20 days). There were 9 (18.7%) deaths. Left ventricular failure, high pulmonary hypertension, and coronary insufficiency were causes of death in 2 (4.8%), 1 (2.4%), and 2 (4.8%) patients, respectively. After arterial switching, the optimum management of patients with low cardiac output is to maintain low peripheral resistance and to restrict preload and to use FDE III inhibitors as the drugs of choice.