Deep hypothermia in infant cardiac surgery.

The value of infant cardiac surgery using deep hypothermia remains a debate. A steady number of cardiac centers have consented to this approach in spite of some filibuster. Physiologists are frightened, anesthetists may find it cumbersome, but surgeons using it enjoy the ease of correction in a bloodless and relaxed heart. The cardiologists may document acceptable results, but we also need the alert feedback from the provider of long-term health care--the pediatrician--to document possible flaws of this pristine modality. This article is intended to familiarize the pediatrician with the method of deep hypothermia: its origin, application, and appeal for consumer protection.