Rachel E Sunstrom, Ashok Muralidaran, Rabin Gerrah, Richard D Reed, Milon K Good, Laurie R Armsby, Andrew J Rekito, M Mujeeb Zubair, Stephen M Langley
BACKGROUND: Patients undergoing the Fontan procedure may have extended hospital stay due to various postoperative factors including prolonged chest tube drainage. Our aim was to determine the efficacy of our Fontan management protocol in reducing chest tube drainage and length of stay. METHODS: Patients who underwent a Fontan procedure at our institution from June 2008 to September 2013 were analyzed (n = 42). We currently manage our patients according to the PORTLAND protocol: Peripheral vasodilation, Oxygen, Restriction of fluids, Technique of surgery, Low-fat diet, Anticoagulation (including antithrombin III management), No ventilator, and Diuretics...
January 2015: Annals of Thoracic Surgery