Articles: anesthetics.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Jan 2024
Anesthetic management of children with medically refractory pulmonary hypertension undergoing surgical Potts shunt.
Pulmonary hypertension in children is associated with high rates of adverse events under anesthesia. In children who have failed medical therapy, a posttricuspid shunt such as a Potts shunt can offload the right ventricle and possibly delay or replace the need for lung transplantation. Intraoperative management of this procedure, during which an anastomosis between the pulmonary artery and the descending aorta is created, is complex and requires a deep understanding of the pathophysiology of acute and chronic right ventricular failure. This retrospective case review describes the intraoperative management of children undergoing surgical creation of a Potts shunt at a single center. ⋯ Our single center expereince shows that the Potts shunt surgery, despite high short-term mortaility, may offer another option for palliation in children with medically refractory pulmonary hypertension.