Survival of infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) and related singleventricle cardiac defects undergoing stage I palliation operation with a modified Blalock-Taussig shunt (NWBT) has improved over recent years. This can be attributed to improvements in diagnostic techniques; preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative care; and better understanding of the risks factors associa...

Background—Survivors of the Norwood procedure may experience neurodevelopmental impairment. Clinical trials to improve outcomes have focused primarily on methods of vital organ support during cardiopulmonary bypass. Methods and Results—In the Single Ventricle Reconstruction trial of the Norwood procedure with modified Blalock-Taussig shunt versus right-ventricle-to-pulmonary-artery shunt, 14-mo...

The systemic to pulmonary artery shunts are done as palliative procedures for cyanotic congenital heart diseases ranging from simple tetralogy of Fallots (TOFs)/pulmonary atresia (PA) to complex univentricular hearts. They allow growth of pulmonary arteries and maintain regulated blood flow to the lungs till a proper age and body weight suitable for definitive corrective repair is reached. We h...

Sixty patients with pulmonary atresia and intact ventricular septum (PA:IVS) presenting from 1970 to 1980 are reviewed. Three groups of patient are discussed: those with tripartite right ventricles, those with no trabecular portion to the cavity, and those with neither trabecular nor infundibular portions. The decrease in early mortality for neonates with PA:IVS since 1977 (one death in 15 pati...

OBJECTIVES We sought to determine whether the type of shunt used at stage one palliation (S1P) affected the survival and the perioperative course through Fontan completion. BACKGROUND Although improved surgical and interstage survival have been demonstrated with the use of the right ventricle to pulmonary artery (RV-PA) conduit compared with a modified Blalock-Taussig shunt (BTS) at S1P, it i...

An abnormal tendency to post-operative hmorrhage may occur in patients with severe cyanotic congenital heart disease (Blalock, 1948). In preliminary findings by Somerville and McDonald (1960) the thromboplastin generation test showed evidence of defective blood coagulation in these patients. Blood coagulation has been further investigated in patients with cyanotic and acyanotic congenital heart...