• Katrien De Vadder, Alexander Van De Bruaene, Marc Gewillig, Bart Meyns, Els Troost, and Werner Budts.
• Acta Cardiol. 2014 Feb 1;69(1):7-14.

BackgroundThe Fontan procedure has become the procedure of choice for patients with one functional ventricle. Although perioperative mortality has decreased, late failure of the Fontan circulation remains a major concern. We aimed at (i) describing Fontan patient characteristics and (ii) identifying simple risk factors for outcome.MethodsSeventy-three patients (median age 23 y (IQR 19-29 y), 60.3% male) were selected from the database of congenital heart defects. Followup data were collected. The primary end point was composed by death, resuscitation, or heart transplantation.ResultsThe most frequently occurring defect was tricuspid atresia (41.1%). Twenty-five (34.2%) and 48 (65.8%) patients received an intra- and extracardiac conduit, respectively. Ten patients reached the primary end point (13.7%) after a median follow-up time of 16 years (IQR 14-19 y). NYHA classification (OR 63.0; 95% Cl 6.7-592.4; P < or =0.001), atrioventricular-valve regurgitation (OR 10.6; 95% Cl: 1.2-94.1; P = 0.034), ventricular function (OR 4.8; 95% Cl 1.7-13.7; P = 0.003), oxygen saturation (OR 0.7; 95% Cl 0.1-1.0; P = 0.002) and the presence (OR 8.6; 95% Cl 1.6-45.2; P = 0.011) or history of supraventricular arrhythmia (OR 6.7; 95% CI: 1.3-35.0; P = 0.025), all parameters gathered at the latest follow-up, were associated with outcome. An association was also found with the presence of an intracardiac conduit (OR 5.8; 95% Cl 1.4-25.1; P = 0.018), higher age at Fontan procedure (OR 1.2; 95% Cl 1.0-1.3; P = 0.007) and male gender (OR 0.2; 95% Cl 0.1-1.0; P = 0.047).ConclusionsComplications were not uncommon later after Fontan surgery. Several demographic and procedure-related data were associated with adverse outcome. Interestingly, the strongest correlation was found with clinical and basic echocardiographic characteristics at the latest follow-up.

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