How does the Fontan procedure work?

How does the Fontan procedure work?

During the Fontan procedure, the surgeon: Disconnects the inferior vena cava (IVC) from the heart and connects it to the pulmonary artery using a conduit (tube). Makes a small hole between the conduit and the right atrium. This hole (or fenestration) lets some blood still flow back to the heart.

How long does Fontan procedure last?

Since the Fontan procedure requires open heart surgery, your toddler will be on a heart-lung machine to temporarily take over blood circulation and breathing. The procedure will last about five hours.

What is a modified Fontan procedure?

Modified Fontan Procedure: Extracardiac Conduit Blood receives oxygen from the lungs and returns to the heart, where it is actively pumped out to the body. This procedure is usually done between 2-4 years of age. During surgery, the chest is opened through the previous incision, using a median sternotomy.

When is a Fontan procedure performed?

The Fontan procedure is the third stage of the repair. It is done when the child is between 18 months and 2 years of age. A heart catheterization is done before the Fontan.

When was the first Fontan procedure performed?

The Fontan procedure, which was first performed in 1968 and then described in 1971, has changed the natural history dramatically and allowed survival into the third and fourth decades of life.

How long does arterial switch procedure take?

The surgery to repair TGA is known as an arterial switch operation. A pediatric heart surgeon performs the surgery. The surgery lasts about 4 to 6 hours. It takes place in an operating room in a hospital.

What happens when a Fontan fails?

Late Fontan failure may present insidiously over years. It is a failure of medical management to interpret the absence of overt symptoms or ascites as evidence of optimal haemodynamic status in the functionally univentricular circulation.

How old is the oldest Fontan patient?

Mean follow-up after the Fontan operation was 15.3 ± 9.3 years (median: 15.1 years; range: 34 days to 37 years). The oldest survivor after the Fontan operation was 67 years of age (Fontan at age 39 years)….Results.

What is Fontan fenestration?

Key points. Fenestration closure after a Fontan operation is a procedure to close the hole between your child’s heart and the tunnel that takes oxygen-poor blood from the body to the lungs. The procedure is done in the heart catheterization lab.

When is the Glenn procedure done?

The Glenn procedure is the second of three congenital open heart surgeries performed to correct hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) and other single ventricle heart defects. It is usually performed about six months after birth, following the Norwood procedure.

Who invented the Fontan procedure?

Francis Fontan (2 July 1929 – 14 January 2018) was a French cardiologist and cardiothoracic surgeon best known for developing the Fontan procedure, a surgical procedure used to treat some forms of congenital heart disease.

What are Fontan patients?

The Fontan procedure is used in pediatric patients who possess only a single functional ventricle, either due to lack of a heart valve (e.g. tricuspid or mitral atresia), an abnormality of the pumping ability of the heart (e.g. hypoplastic left heart syndrome or hypoplastic right heart syndrome), or a complex …