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With the heart-lung machine, many surgeons favor a more radical and complex operation in which they repair the basic defects of the major arteries and the chambers of the heart itself. But a major problem still confronting the blue babies' doctors is to decide which operation is best suited for each patient, especially since the more drastic operation carries a higher risk. At the Hopkins, Dr. Blalock and his associates still decide to rely on the Taussig or a similar operation about once a week.