Tricuspid atresia corrected by the Fontan method.

The Fontan procedure was applied to correct 13 cases of tricuspid atresia, all with concordant arterial connections. Seven of the patients had had a total of ten previous operations to create palliative shunts. There were 3 early deaths, all due to low cardiac output states, but no late deaths. The postoperative management of the survivors was not unduly complicated, except in the 1st patient. Complete heart block developed transiently in 2 patients. The results are classified as good to very good in all 10 survivors. Our experience supports the opinion that the Fontan procedure gives good symptomatic relief in patients with tricuspid atresia. We discuss the possibility of improving long-term left ventricular function by early complete correction.