Total Hip Replacement in a Patient With a Fontan Circulation: A Case Report

Abstract

Anesthetic management of the adult patient with a Fontan circulation is complex and requires understanding of the specific physiology of the individual patient. Long-term survival in this cohort has increased to the point where patients are presenting for noncardiac surgery related to degenerative diseases of aging. We describe the perioperative management of a patient with a Fontan circulation undergoing total hip arthroplasty using combined spinal–epidural anesthesia and discuss the issues requiring special consideration for this surgical procedure in this group of patients.