An international multicenter study comparing arrhythmia prevalence between the intracardiac lateral tunnel and the extracardiac conduit type of Fontan operations (original) (raw)

Arrhythmias after Fontan operation: comparison of lateral tunnel and extracardiac conduit

Journal of Electrocardiology, 2008

Background: Arrhythmias are frequent causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with single ventricle physiology after Fontan operation. The aim of this study was to evaluate which type of Fontan procedure-lateral tunnel (LT) or extracardiac conduit (EC)-provides superior outcomes related to the problem of early postoperative and 1-year follow-up arrhythmias. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the incidence, types, and duration of rhythm disorders in 101 consecutive patients who received either LT (n = 60) or EC (n = 41) between April 1997 and March 2006 in Slovak Children's Cardiac Center, Bratislava (Slovakia). Weight, age, sex, and the type of heart morphology did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. The rhythm was monitored and documented perioperatively and postoperatively with standard electrocardiogram (ECG) recording and continual ECG monitoring. Duration of extracorporeal circulation, duration of aortic crossclamp and hemodynamic variables were analyzed with respect to the development of early arrhythmias in both groups. Twenty-four-hour ECG Holter monitoring (DMS 300-7, Holterreader, Producer DMS, Nevada, USA) was used to detect arrhythmias at the 1-year follow-up. Results: Early postoperative rhythm abnormalities were identified in 31 patients (52%) who underwent LT and in 22 patients (54%) who underwent EC. The most frequent type of rhythm disturbance was junctional rhythm in both groups. The bivariate analysis revealed that there was no significant difference in the incidence, type, or duration of early onset arrhythmias between the 2 groups. Although, there was no significant difference in the duration of arrhythmia since the admission form the operating room. The need of aortic crossclamp was significantly lower in EC group (P b .001). However, this did not correlate with lower incidence of early onset arrhythmias with EC modification. At the 1-year follow-up, the prevalence of arrhythmias was similar in both groups. Conclusions: Extracardiac conduit as compared with LT does not provide superior outcomes related to the problem of early and 1-year onset arrhythmias. Other factors than the risk of early postoperative and early follow-up arrhythmias should be considered in surgical preference of modification strategy.

New Onset Arrhythmias After the Extracardiac Conduit Fontan Operation Compared With the Intraatrial Lateral Tunnel Procedure: Early and Midterm Results

The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, 2004

Background. Arrhythmias are one of the main causes of postoperative morbidity superseding Fontan operations. Comparative data on the incidence of sinus node dysfunction after the extracardiac Fontan operation (ECFO) and the intraatrial lateral tunnel Fontan operation (LTFO) are very limited and controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether ECFO decreases the risk of postoperative arrhythmias compared with LTFO. Methods. Seventy-four consecutive patients received either an LTFO (n ‫؍‬ 29, 5 recordings in 1992 to 9 recordings in 1997) or an ECFO (n ‫؍‬ 45, 11 recordings in 1995 to 5 recordings in 2001). The rhythm was documented preoperatively and postoperatively with standard electrocardiogram (ECG) recording and ECG monitoring. During follow-up all patients had 2-8 (median 3) standard ECG recordings per year. Additionally 45 patients (65%) had a Holter ECG at least once a year. Results. Median follow-up post-ECFO was 4.4 years (1.6-7.2) and post-LTFO it was 7.9 years (5.4-11.1). There were 5 early deaths (3 LTFO, 2 ECFO) and 1 late death (LTFO) (total mortality 8%). Sinus rhythm persisted in 37 ECFO patients (86%) as compared with 13 LTFO patients (50%) (p < 0.001). The incidence of new onset supraventricular tachyarrhythmias (SVTs) post-ECFO compared with LTFO was lower: 5 patients (11%) versus 11 patients (38%) early postoperatively (p < 0.001) and none versus 7 patients (27%) during follow-up (p < 0.001), respectively. Early postoperatively 10 LTFO patients (34%) and another 3 patients during follow-up required permanent pacemaker implantation due to bradyarrhythmias, but none of the ECFO patients required this. Conclusions. Our data suggest that ECFO decreases the incidence of postoperative new onset arrhythmias during early and midterm follow-up compared with LTFO.

Effect of age and surgical technique on symptomatic arrhythmias after the Fontan procedure

The American Journal of Cardiology, 1995

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of newer Fontan modifications (lateral tunnel with or without fenestmtion) and p" tient's the incidence and impact o age at surgery on symptomatic postoperative early and intermediate arrhythmias. Modifications to the Fontan procedure are used to decrease postoperative complications, and the Fontan procedure is now zig ter rformed. on yyn r changes m ventncu ar 9"r ti!nk to reduce agenchon. A retrospechve review was done of the medical records of 151 consecutive patienk, ranging in a e from 1 to 49 years, who underwent a Fontan pmc eil ure at Texas Children's Hospital between 1987 and 1993. Risk factors were identified for eorfy and intermediate arrhythmias. Age at time of the procedure was an independent pfedic-tor of earfy atrial arrhythmias (p = 0.03), ventricular arrh 2 mias (p = 0.003), and junctional ectopic tachyca ia (JET) (p = 0.05). We found that the older the patient at surgery, the higher the incidence of atrial and ventricular arrhythmias, whereas the younger the patient, the higher the incidence of Jm. Using Cox's proportional-hazards model, the risk of intermediate atrial arrhythmias after lateml tunnel modification was % that after atriopulmonary connection. Youn tients who underwent the Fontan procedure ha B er paa lower risk for early atrial and ventricular arrh P mia but an increased risk for JET. The lateral tunne modiiication can be performed in order to reduce the risk of intermediate atrial arrhythmias.

A 45-year experience with the Fontan procedure: tachyarrhythmia, an important sign for adverse outcome

Interactive Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, 2019

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate our 45-year experience with the Fontan procedure and to identify risk factors for late mortality and morbidity. METHODS: Demographic, preoperative, perioperative and postoperative characteristics were retrospectively collected for all patients who underwent a Fontan procedure in a single centre between 1972 and 2016. RESULTS: The study included 277 Fontan procedures (44 atriopulmonary connections, 28 Fontan-Björk, 42 lateral tunnels and 163 extracardiac conduits). Early failure occurred in 17 patients (6.1%). Median follow-up of the study cohort was 11.9 years (Q 1-Q 3 7.6-17.5).

Atrial tachyarrhythmias late after Fontan operation are related to increase in mortality and hospitalization

International Journal of Cardiology, 2012

Background: Atrial tachyarrhythmias are a known complication late after Fontan operation. Limited information is available on their prognostic value. Methods: All patients with previous Fontan operation followed at our institution since 1999 were identified from the electronic database and included in this study. Demographic and clinical characteristics including history of atrial tachyarrhythmias were recorded at the earliest full clinical assessment and patients were followed thereafter for all-cause mortality and hospitalization. Results: A total of 98 patients, mean age 31.5 ± 8.9 years, 43.8% male, 31.6% with a total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC) were identified. A history of atrial tachyarrhythmia was present at baseline in 60.2% of patients who were older (33.0 ± 8.3 vs 29.1 ± 9.4 years, p = 0.002), less likely to have a TCPC (13.5% vs 58.9%, p b 0.001), and more symptomatic in terms of NYHA class (51.9% vs 26.7%, p = 0.007) compared to arrhythmia-free patients. During a median follow-up of 6.7 years 18 patients died and 64 patients were hospitalized. Even after adjustment for baseline clinical characteristics, atrial tachyarrhythmia was an independent predictor of death (propensity score adjusted HR 9.35, 95% CI: 1.10-79.18, p = 0.04, c-statistic 0.88) and composite of death or hospitalization (propensity score adjusted HR 5.00, 95% CI: 2.47-10.09, p b 0.0001). Conclusions: In adult patients with a Fontan-type operation, the presence of atrial tachyarrhythmias is associated with higher morbidity and mortality at mid-term follow-up. Whether early arrhythmia targeting intervention may improve clinical outcome needs to be studied in a prospective manner.

Intra/extracardiac fenestrated modification leads to lower incidence of arrhythmias after the Fontan operation

The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, 2013

The study objective was to compare the incidence of short-and intermediate-term arrhythmias among 3 different surgical modifications of the Fontan procedure. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of all patients who underwent the Fontan operation at a single institution between January 2004 and May 2010 for preoperative, perioperative, and follow-up variables. Three surgical modifications were studied: intra/extracardiac conduit with limited atriotomy, standard extracardiac conduit, and lateral tunnel. Rhythm was classified as normal or abnormal. A rhythm dysfunction grading was devised and used to identify worsening of rhythm for patients with abnormal rhythm preoperatively. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine predictors of abnormal rhythm. To eliminate confounding effects of transient immediate postoperative arrhythmias, data were analyzed for abnormal rhythm within the first 2 weeks and for more than 2 weeks after surgery.

Predictors of Early and Late-Onset Supraventricular Tachyarrhythmias After Fontan Operation

Background-The objectives of our study were to determine the frequency of supraventricular tachyarrhythmias (SVTAs) among modifications of the Fontan operation and identify risk factors for developing SVTA. Methods and Results-The population consisted of all patients who had any modification of the Fontan operation at the Mayo Clinic between 1985 and 1993. Clinically significant SVTAs were those requiring initiation or change of antiarrhythmic treatment, and they were divided into early SVTAs (Ͻ30 days after the operation) and late SVTAs (Ն30 days after the operation). Clinical histories were reviewed, and health status questionnaires were sent. Four hundred ninety-nine patients had various modifications of the Fontan operation. Frequency of early SVTA was 15%. Risk factors identified by multivariate analysis for early SVTA were AV valve regurgitation, abnormal AV valve, and preoperative SVTA. Frequency of late SVTA was 6% by 1 year, 12% by 3 years, and 17% by 5 years. Risk factors for late SVTA were age at operation (Ͻ3 or Ն10 years) and systemic AV valve replacement. By univariate and multivariate analysis, the type of Fontan operation was not a significant risk factor for late SVTA when all 6 modifications were considered. However, when we analyzed the frequency of late SVTA for the 2 recently used modifications, we found a lower frequency of late SVTA in patients with atriopulmonary connection with lateral tunnel compared with those with total cavopulmonary connection. Conclusions-Postoperative SVTA continues to be a significant problem. Risk factors for SVTA are AV valve regurgitation, abnormal AV valve, preoperative SVTA, and age at operation. Frequency of SVTA does not appear to be related to type of Fontan procedure except for slightly lower frequency in patients with atriopulmonary connection with lateral tunnel compared with those with total cavopulmonary connection. (Circulation. 1998;98:1099-1107.)

Risk factors for postoperative arrhythmia in patients with physiologic univentricular hearts undergoing Fontan procedure

Anadolu Kardiyoloji Dergisi/The Anatolian Journal of Cardiology, 2012

Objective: Advanced age, dilated right atrium, increased preoperative pulmonary artery pressure, increased right atrial pressure, technique of operation, and poor ventricular function were reported to be risk factors for postoperative arrhythmia. Aim of this study is to determine the risk factor for postoperative arrhythmia after Fontan operation with regard to ventricle dominancy and hemodynamic parameters. Methods: In this retrospective study, the data of the patients including age, weight, dominant ventricle, type of cardiac anomaly, previous operations, duration of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), duration of aortic clamping, cardiac rhythm, pulmonary artery pressure, the Nakata Index, systemic atrioventricular (AV) valve insufficiency were obtained from the hospital records, the echocardiographic files, and cardiac catheterization records. Patients were assigned to dominant left ventricle or dominant right ventricle groups. Statistical analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Results: Arrhythmia was observed in 21 (52.5%) patients in the postoperative period. No postoperative arrhythmia was observed in patients with a right atrial pressure of <5 mmHg, whereas postoperative arrhythmias were observed in patients with a right atrial pressure of ≥5 mmHg (p<0.05). When the effects of preoperative and postoperative pulmonary artery pressures on postoperative arrhythmia were evaluated, postoperative arrhythmia was determined in only 2 (12.5%) of 8 patients with a preoperative mean pulmonary artery pressure of ≤9 mmHg, whereas postoperative arrhythmia was observed in 19 (59.3%) of 32 patients with a preoperative pulmonary artery pressure of ≥10 mmHg. A preoperative mean pulmonary artery pressure of >10 mmHg increased the risk of postoperative arrhythmia (p<0.02). Postoperative arrhythmia was determined in 8 (53%) of 15 patients with a dominant right ventricle, and in 13 (52%) of 25 patients with a dominant left ventricle (p>0.05). Conclusion: While a preoperative mean pulmonary artery pressure of >10 mmHg and a preoperative right atrial pressure of >5 mmHg were the risk factors for postoperative arrhythmia in patients undergoing Fontan procedure, the right or left ventricular dominance was not a risk factor.

Arrhythmias After Fontan Operation with Intra-atrial Lateral Tunnel Versus Extra-cardiac Conduit: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Pediatric cardiology, 2017

Current studies on the incidence of arrhythmias after the intra-atrial lateral tunnel (ILT) Fontan operation and the extra-cardiac conduit (ECC) Fontan operation are limited, with controversial results. This systematic review aimed to compare the prevalence of arrhythmias in patients who underwent ECC or ILT Fontan. Relevant studies comparing the incidence of arrhythmias and pacemaker implantation in ILT with ECC were identified through a literature search using MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the cochrane central register of controlled trials. The outcome measures included baseline characteristics, early (≤30 days) and late (>30 days) arrhythmias and pacemaker implantation. 16 publications involving 3499 patients were included. In the meta-analysis, although the overall risk of early arrhythmias was lower for the ILT group, statistically, no significant difference was observed (odds ratio [OR] 0.78; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.61-1.01; p = 0.06). Similarly, there was no significant diff...