Resuscitation of the Patient with the Functionally Univentricular Heart

Neonates and infants with functional single ventricle anatomy face nearly certain early mortality without cardiac transplantation or successive palliation through a pathway of staged interventions. Patients with single ventricle variants typically have multiple hospitalizations and high incidence of cardiac arrest. Few studies have directly addressed the physiology, pharmacology, techniques or outcomes of resuscitation of this high-risk group. The unique challenge posed by resuscitation of this patient group was recently recognized within the 2010 International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation consensus statement, where, for the first time, two worksheets were devoted exclusively to the resuscitation of the single ventricle patient before and after S1P and those patients with bidirectional Glenn/hemi-Fontan and Fontan physiology. This article will review the consensus on science, treatment recommendations, and areas of uncertainty in the resuscitation of the infants and children with single ventricle physiology during each stage of surgical repair.