Cardiopulmonary bypass venous cannulation challenges in a paediatric patient with complex congenital heart disease: a...

When choosing cannulae for cardiac surgery the two most important factors to be considered are the proposed procedure and the patient anatomy. These factors are especially crucial in paediatric patients with congenital heart disease. A 3-year-old, 14-kg male presented to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics with dextro-transposition of the great arteries, atrioventricular canal, left pulmonary stenosis, azygous continuation, bilateral superior vena cavae, partial anomalous pulmonary venous return, left aortic arch and status post-right Blalock-Taussing shunt. The complex anatomy presented a surgical dilemma. The course of surgical intervention was determined, a variation of the modified Fontan procedure, and the anatomy of the patient was directly viewed. The surgeon concluded that four venous cannulae were required to provide adequate venous return for the cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) circuit and a bloodless surgical field. The operation was successfully performed under mild hypothermia with no complications. The patient fully recovered with only mild restrictions on his activity level. This case acutely illustrates the importance of anatomical and procedural awareness when choosing cannulae and cannulation sites for CPB in paediatric patients with congenital heart disease.