| Fontan procedure | |
|---|---|
 Fontan procedure for tricuspid atresia | |
| Uses | Palliative surgery for child with univentricular heart |
The Fontan procedure or Fontan–Kreutzer procedure is a palliative surgical procedure used in children with univentricular hearts. It involves diverting the venous blood from the inferior vena cava (IVC) and superior vena cava (SVC) to the pulmonary arteries. The procedure varies for differing congenital heart pathologies. For example, in tricuspid atresia, the procedure can be done where the blood does not pass through the morphologic right ventricle; i.e., the systemic and pulmonary circulations are placed in series with the functional single ventricle. By contrast, in hypoplastic left heart syndrome, the heart is more reliant on the more functional right ventricle to provide blood flow to the systemic circulation. The procedure was initially performed in 1968 by Francis Fontan and Eugene Baudet from Bordeaux, France, published in 1971, simultaneously described in July 1971 by Guillermo Kreutzer from Buenos Aires, Argentina, presented at the Argentinean National Cardilogy meeting of that year and finally published in 1973.[1][2]
- ^ Fontan, F.; Baudet, E. (May 1971). "Surgical repair of tricuspid atresia". Thorax. 26 (3): 240–248. doi:10.1136/thx.26.3.240. ISSN 0040-6376. PMC 1019078. PMID 5089489.
- ^ Kreutzer, G.; Galíndez, E.; Bono, H.; De Palma, C.; Laura, J. P. (October 1973). "An operation for the correction of tricuspid atresia". The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. 66 (4): 613–621. doi:10.1016/S0022-5223(19)40598-9. ISSN 0022-5223. PMID 4518787.