Functional health status of patients after the Fontan operation

Vasopressin After the Fontan Operation.

BACKGROUND Prolonged pleural effusion following Fontan operation is common and increases morbidity and hospital length of stay. Vasopressin (VP), a neurohypophysial hormone, has numerous effects on the cardiovascular system. The most notable is increased peripheral vascular resistance, but it may also reduce capillary leakage by tightening endothelial intercellular junctions and reducing capill...

Pulmonary artery size and late functional outcome after Fontan operation.

BACKGROUND Pulmonary artery (PA) growth after a Fontan procedure tends to be suboptimal to somatic growth. This study aimed to investigate whether the PA size affects the late outcomes of the Fontan procedure. METHODS This study enrolled 120 Fontan patients. Their mean age was 19.3 ± 5.6 years. PA size was measured from computed tomographic images. Patients were divided into three groups acco...

[Pulmonary thromboembolism after Fontan operation].

The fatal outcome in an eleven-year-old girl, one month after an extra-cardiac Fontan operation is reported. She was diagnosed with tricuspid atresia and had a Blalock Taussig shunt and a bidirectional Glenn procedure. The Fontan operation was performed using a Dacron conduit, fenestrated with a 6 mm Goretex tube. The first week after the operation she received low molecular weight heparin, the...

Cognitive development after the Fontan operation.

BACKGROUND Patients with a single ventricle have multiple risk factors for central nervous system injury, both before and after the Fontan procedure. METHODS AND RESULTS A geographically selected cohort was invited to undergo standardized testing, including age-appropriate measures of intelligence quotient (IQ) and achievement tests. Historical information was obtained by chart review and pat...

Ablation of arrhythmias in adult patients after Fontan operation.