The emergence and expansion of cardiac surgery over the past decade has resulted in an increasing number of patients undergoing cardiac operations but many kinds of heart surgery was realized only palliative, resulting in increasing numbers of secondary cardiac procedures. From 1978 to 1988, 10 cases of various congenital heart diseases and 17 cases of acquired heart diseases were reoperated at Hanyang University Hospital. The leading indication of second operation was residual shunt or valvular malfunction due to technical failure in congenital heart disease and primary valve failure, endocarditis, paravalvular leakage were for acquired heart disease. The mortality of reoperation was 0% for congenital heart disease and 11.7%[2 death among the 17 patients] for acquired heart disease. The leading causes of death were myocardial failure, sepsis with endocarditis, acute renal failure and congestive heart failure.