Living to Tell the Tale: A First-Person Chronicle of the Development of the Fontan-Kreutzer Procedure

World J Pediatr Congenit Heart Surg. 2024 Jan;15(1):104-108. doi: 10.1177/21501351231201849. Epub 2023 Oct 6.

Abstract

The current surgical approach for patients with a single ventricle is the culmination of decades of dedicated research and groundbreaking innovation. From 1971 to the present day, a series of incremental advancements have significantly extended the life expectancy of these patients. Since the very beginning, Dr Guillermo Kreutzer and his team have pioneered different techniques with the ultimate goal of improving outcomes for these individuals. This is, narrated by him, the story of how it all began.

Keywords: Fontan; history; palliation; tricuspid atresia; univentricular heart.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Fontan Procedure* / methods
  • Heart Defects, Congenital* / surgery
  • Heart Ventricles / surgery
  • Humans
  • Male