A good understanding of haemodynamic impairments caused by congenital heart diseases is required to ensure appropriate management of children’s anaesthesia and treatment. It helps to choose the most suitable anaesthetic technique in each individual case. Before specifically addressing each disease, it will therefore be useful to mention strategies that should be considered, based on the classification of congenital heart diseases mentioned in the previous section:
- Non-cyanotic heart diseases with L-to-R shunt and increased pulmonary blood flow;
- Non-cyanotic heart diseases without shunting;
- Cyanotic heart diseases with R-to-L shunt and reduced pulmonary blood flow;
- Cyanotic heart diseases with R-to-L shunt and reduced aortic blood flow;
- Cyanotic heart diseases with a bidirectional shunt.
© BETTEX D, BOEGLI Y, CHASSOT PG, June 2008, last update May 2018