Supraventricular Cardiac Arrhythmias and Sick Sinus Syndrome in Patients with a Univentricular Heart after Fontan Procedure Follow-up Study

This paper describes supraventricular cardiac arrhythmias and sick sinus syndrome in patients with univentricular heart defects, following Fontan procedure. The Fontan operation is a well established surgical procedure in which the right atrium is connected with the pulmonary artery. This technique relieves the functional problems resulting from having a univentricular heart and it is also associated with a lot of complications. Results from 29 patients were included in our study for analysis. All patients with single ventricle were diagnosed and hospitalized in the Department of Paediatric Cardiology in Katowice during 1994–2008. Supraventricular cardiac arrhyhtmias and sick sinus syndrome were common complications in children who went through Fontan procedure. All the stages of treatment with the Fontan procedure are palliative in their character and their main advantage is the improvement in the quality and length of life.