Objective To summarize the experience of surgical treatment of complete atrioventricular canal defect (CAVCD) in 94 patients. Methods Ninety-four patients with CAVCD underwent surgical therapy. CAVCD were repaired by using two-patch technique in 65 patients and using single-patch technique in 29 patients. Additional cardiovascular anomalies were corrected simultaneously. Results There were 10 hospital deaths (10.6%), 4 patients were less than 6 month old. Four patients died of severe mitral valve regurgitation, 3 died of pulmonary hypertensive crises and 3 died of low cardiac output syndrome, cerebral complications and aerothorax separately. Follow-up was completed in 84 patients, with a duration of 3-6 months. Mild degree mitral valve regurgitation was observed in 18 patients by echocardiography, mild to middle degree mitral valve regurgitation was observed in 12 patients. Conclusions Postoperative severe mitral regurgitation and pulmonary hypertensive crises were the main cause of deaths for correction of CAVCD. Early correction of CAVCD and satisfactory reconstruction of atrioventricular valve could obtain a satisfactory result, routine evaluation with intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography could result in a low operative mortality.