What is the Fontan procedure used for?
The Fontan procedure refers to any surgical procedure that leads to systemic flow of venous blood to the lungs without passing through a ventricle. In 1971, Fontan and Baudet (1) described a surgical procedure for repair of tricuspid atresia that built on experimental and clinical research from the 1940s.
When is the 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.
How long do Fontan patients live?
The average age of the adult Fontan cohort at Mayo Clinic is 30 to 35 years.
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.
What is Fontan pathway?
The Fontan pathway is a term used colloquially to denote the combination of surgical procedures (orange) and medical monitoring/management (blue) for children and adults born with a functionally univentricular heart.
What is a 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.
Who needs a Fontan procedure?
The Fontan procedure is done for children who are born with heart problems like hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), tricuspid atresia, and double outlet right ventricle. Depending on the heart problem, children may need the Norwood procedure and Glenn procedure before the Fontan surgery.
What happens when a Fontan fails?
Problems classified as ‘Fontan failure’ may represent problems inherent to the morphologic substrate, operative variables, and inevitable sequelae of the Fontan circulation: chronic venous congestion and progressively declining functional status.
What is Fontan fenestration?
What is Fontan heart surgery?
During a Fontan surgery, congenital heart surgeons reroute the blood flow from the lower body to the lungs by connecting the inferior vena cava to the pulmonary artery. To accomplish this, surgeons will most often create a connecting channel, or tube, outside of the heart.
What is fenestrated Fontan procedure?
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. There is a small risk that your child will have complications from the procedure.
What do you need to know about the Fontan procedure?
Fontan procedure. Dr Matt A. Morgan ◉ et al. The Fontan procedure is a repair surgical strategy for congenital cardiac anomalies. It is not usually used in isolation, but in combination with other repair procedures in a staged manner in an attempt to correct the underlying cardiac pathology.
How is Fontan used to treat cardiac anomalies?
The Fontan procedure is a repair surgical strategy for congenital cardiac anomalies. It is not usually used in isolation, but in combination with other repair procedures in a staged manner in an attempt to correct the underlying cardiac pathology.
What should I do if my Fontan repair fails?
A patient with a failing Fontan repair can receive an extracardiac Fontan conduit if they do not already have one. The definitive procedure is cardiac transplantation. Intracardiac and central venous thromboses are major causes of morbidity and mortality in patients after the Fontan procedure. This can occur in 1%-33% 4.
Is there a maximum length of time for Fontan?
In general, the extracardiac conduit results in less manipulation of the right atrium but is prone to conduit complications. Although a palliative procedure, patients treated with the Fontan procedure can reach adulthood. The maximum duration of the procedure is not well-defined.