The Fontan operation, the final palliative step after a series of complex operations in patients with univentricular hearts, has undergone multiple modifications throughout the last decades, with the goal of finding the method which combines the optimal hemodynamic effects of the Fontan circulation with minimal long term side effects. An understanding of the operative evolution and subsequent side effects, as well as the management thereof seems imperative. Since its inception by Francis Fontan the, now obsolete, initial atriopulmonary connection has passed through several milestones into having now reached the era of total cavopulmonary connection. However, recently published results bring to light the new option of biventricular conversion which comes to challenge the management of Fontan patients as we know it. Currently, there is no consensus as to whether to continue with palliation in this challenging group of patients or proceed with heart transplantation. In this collective review, we provide a historic overview of the Fontan evolution as well as future insights, discussing the perspectives of options for patients with failing Fontan, including the latest addition of biventricular correction.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.59958/hsf.6983 | DOI Listing |
Cardiol Young
January 2025
Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Intensive Care Medicine and Congenital Heart Disease, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany.
Background: A subgroup of CHDs can only be treated palliatively through a Fontan circulation. In case of a failing Fontan situation, serum proteins are lost unspecifically and can also lead to a loss of vaccine antibodies. In a failing Fontan situation, heart transplantation may be the only feasible option.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnn Noninvasive Electrocardiol
January 2025
Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Background: Electrocardiograms (EKGs) are routinely performed in pregnant patients with pre-existing cardiovascular disease. However, in pregnant patients with congenital heart disease (CHD), EKG changes during gestation have not been explored.
Methods: We performed a retrospective study of pregnant patients with CHD enrolled in the STORCC initiative.
A A Pract
January 2025
From the Department of Anesthesia, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana.
Interscalene blocks, commonly used for shoulder surgery analgesia, often cause transient phrenic nerve palsy, leading to hemi-diaphragmatic paresis. This complication is particularly problematic in patients with pulmonary comorbidities and has been extensively investigated. However, its impact on patients with Fontan physiology remains less understood with limited representation in the literature.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPediatr Cardiol
December 2024
Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, 4401 Penn Avenue, 5Th Floor Faculty Pavilion, Pittsburgh, PA, 15224, USA.
The Child Opportunity Index (COI) is a validated measurement that uses a composite index of 29 indicators of social determinants of health linked to the US Census. Patients post-Fontan palliation for single ventricle physiology often have reduced exercise capacity compared to the general population. Our hypothesis is that COI levels are directly associated with exercise capacity and inversely with late outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Cardiovasc Imaging
December 2024
Department of Cardiology, Fukuoka Children's Hospital, 5-1-1, Kashiiteriha, Higashi-Ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka, 813-0017, Japan.
Fontan-associated liver disease (FALD) may be caused by chronic liver congestion due to high central venous pressure (CVP). Recently, the usefulness of liver native T1 mapping in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in adulthood has been reported. To evaluate the usefulness of native liver T1 mapping in children with congenital heart disease (CHD), we investigated the utility of native liver T1 relaxation time (LT1) in pediatric Fontan patients in comparison to other CHDs.
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