Evaluation and Management of the Child and Adult With Fontan Circulation

Published: July 01, 2019

Doctor listening to a child's heartbeat
  • Patients born with single ventricle congenital heart disease often receive the Fontan operation, which connects venous return directly to the pulmonary arteries.
  • Worldwide, an estimated 50,000 to 70,000 patients are alive with a Fontan circulation; 40% of them are above 18 years of age.
  • This paper defines our current understanding of the end-organ consequences of a Fontan circulation and offers a toolkit based on expert consensus opinion for surveillance testing for cardiovascular and end-organ complications.