Developing an adolescent and adult Fontan Management Programme

Patients with single-ventricle CHD undergo a series of palliative surgeries that culminate in the Fontan procedure. While the Fontan procedure allows most patients to survive to adulthood, the Fontan circulation can eventually lead to multiple cardiac complications and multi-organ dysfunction. Care for adolescents and adults with a Fontan circulation has begun to transition from a primarily cardiac-focused model to care models, which are designed to monitor multiple organ systems, and using clues from this screening, identify patients who are at risk for adverse outcomes. The complexity of care required for these patients led our centre to develop a multidisciplinary Fontan Management Programme with the primary goals of earlier detection and treatment of complications through the development of a cohesive network of diverse medical subspecialists with Fontan expertise.

Automated summary

Patients with single-ventricle congenital heart disease undergo a series of palliative surgeries before the Fontan procedure, which can lead to various cardiac complications and multi-organ dysfunction. The care for Fontan circulation patients has shifted towards monitoring multiple organ systems to identify those at risk, with the development of multidisciplinary programs for earlier detection and treatment of complications.