The Implications of Single Ventricle Heart Disease across the Lifespan

Since the initial description of the Fontan operation in 19711 for patients with single ventricle physiology, our understanding of the modified natural history of this population has grown immensely. Initial advances in optimizing surgical techniques based on the most common early complications were aimed at surviving childhood. Over time, some patients began to survive into early adulthood, which led to the focus on important sources of morbidity in early adulthood - specifically Fontan failure, ventricular dysfunction and arrhythmias.