ABTS Congenital Cardiac key terms

Stage-one palliation for hypoplastic left heart syndrome that builds a neoaorta from the native pulmonary trunk, supplies the lungs through a shunt or right-ventricle-to-pulmonary-artery conduit, and reconstructs the aortic arch.

Surgical repair of transposition of the great arteries in which the aorta and pulmonary trunk are transected and reattached to the correct ventricles, with the coronary arteries transferred to the neoaorta.

A systemic-to-pulmonary artery shunt using a synthetic tube between a subclavian or innominate artery and the pulmonary artery, used to secure pulmonary blood flow when native forward flow is inadequate.

A small tube placed from the right ventricular free wall to the pulmonary artery to provide pulmonary blood flow during stage-one palliation, avoiding the diastolic runoff produced by a systemic-to-pulmonary shunt.

A perfusion strategy in which the patient is cooled to roughly 18 to 20 degrees Celsius and bypass flow is stopped, giving the surgeon a bloodless field for arch reconstruction or intracardiac work.

A technique that perfuses the brain through the brachiocephalic or carotid arteries during circulatory arrest, lengthening the safe interval for aortic arch repair while reducing ischemic neurologic injury.

A surgically placed constriction around the pulmonary artery that limits pulmonary blood flow and protects the pulmonary vascular bed, and is sometimes used to train the left ventricle in transposition.

Reimplantation or ligation-with-bypass surgery for an anomalous left coronary artery arising from the pulmonary artery, restoring coronary flow and often improving severely depressed left ventricular function in infants.

Anastomosis of the superior vena cava to the right pulmonary artery so that upper-body venous blood flows passively to the lungs, usually performed as stage-two palliation in single-ventricle patients.

Final-stage palliation in which an extracardiac conduit carries inferior vena cava blood to the pulmonary arteries, creating a passive total cavopulmonary connection with no intervening ventricular pump.

Repair for transposition with ventricular septal defect and pulmonary stenosis that routes left ventricular blood through the septal defect to the aorta and places a valved conduit from right ventricle to pulmonary arteries.

Complete correction comprising patch closure of the ventricular septal defect and relief of right ventricular outflow obstruction, with pulmonary valve or artery reconstruction when needed; the muscular hypertrophy regresses afterward.

A postoperative state of inadequate systemic perfusion driven by myocardial dysfunction, capillary leak, and inflammatory activation after bypass, signaled by rising lactate, oliguria, and widened arteriovenous oxygen difference.

A sudden severe rise in pulmonary artery pressure after cardiac surgery that causes acute right ventricular failure, hypoxemia, and low cardiac output, treated with oxygen, inhaled nitric oxide, and deepened sedation.

Leaving the sternum open under a temporary patch after cardiac surgery when swelling, bleeding, or poor ventricular function makes primary closure unsafe, with definitive closure performed days later in intensive care.

Noninvasive monitoring that estimates regional tissue oxygen saturation, most often over the cerebral or renal cortex, to detect occult hypoperfusion in neonates and infants after cardiac surgery.

A composite severity index combining vasoactive drug doses, ventilation requirements, and renal function, used to quantify postoperative illness and predict prolonged intensive care or death in pediatric cardiac patients.

A rapid arrhythmia arising from the atrioventricular junction after congenital heart surgery that causes hemodynamic instability and is managed with cooling, sedation, amiodarone, and often temporary pacing.

Accumulation of lymphatic fluid in the pleural space after injury to the thoracic duct, producing persistent chest drainage and requiring drainage, low-fat or medium-chain triglyceride feeding, and sometimes surgical or catheter intervention.

Extracorporeal support that oxygenates and pumps blood when native heart or lung function fails, used after cardiac surgery, during refractory low cardiac output, or as a bridge to recovery or transplant.

A technique performed at the end of bypass in which blood is filtered and returned to the patient, reducing hemodilution and inflammatory mediators and often improving hematocrit and ventricular function.

An intravenous infusion that keeps the ductus arteriosus open in ductal-dependent lesions such as transposition or critical coarctation; apnea and hypotension are common adverse effects that require close monitoring.

A catheter procedure in which a balloon is inflated across the atrial septum and pulled back to enlarge the interatrial defect, improving blood mixing in transposition or obstructive lesions.

Physiology in which systemic or pulmonary blood flow depends on a patent ductus arteriosus, so that ductal closure causes rapid deterioration and prostaglandin infusion or ductal stenting may be required.

The ratio of pulmonary to systemic blood flow, derived from oximetry data, that quantifies the magnitude of a shunt and helps predict whether a defect is physiologically tolerated.

Anatomy in which one ventricle supplies both the systemic and pulmonary circulations, so the two vascular beds are connected in parallel and the distribution of flow depends on relative resistances.

The pressure gradient across the pulmonary vascular bed divided by pulmonary blood flow; elevated values limit Fontan candidacy and complicate decisions about shunts and palliative operations.

A systematic echocardiographic approach that describes atrial arrangement, ventricular morphology, and the sequence of connections, allowing precise diagnosis of complex congenital heart disease before surgery.

Imaging that provides three-dimensional anatomy, ventricular volumes, and flow quantification without ionizing radiation, often used for conotruncal lesions, conduit assessment, and serial follow-up.

A risk-adjustment system that assigns congenital cardiac operations to complexity groups so that mortality and morbidity can be compared fairly across institutions and over time.

A multicenter registry collecting operative and outcome data on congenital cardiac surgery, used for benchmarking, quality improvement, and research, and feeding national reporting and public reporting programs.

A collaborative process in which clinicians and families exchange information about options, benefits, and harms and reach a joint choice that respects family values, especially in prenatal and complex surgical decisions.

A safety framework that distinguishes human error from reckless behavior, encouraging error reporting while holding people accountable for unsafe choices and supporting system-based improvement.

A structured review after a serious adverse event that traces contributing factors in systems, communication, and equipment, producing recommendations to prevent recurrence rather than assigning individual blame.

A standardized transfer of patient information and responsibility between teams covering illness severity, summary, action items, situational awareness, and contingency planning, intended to reduce communication failures and harm.