Reverse Potts Shunt for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in Children

Reverse Potts Shunt for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in Children Potts shunt was a surgical anastomosis between left pulmonary artery and descending aorta to improve pulmonary blood flow in cyanotic congenital heart disease with decreased pulmonary blood flow. It is a systemic to pulmonary shunt. The report was published one year after the Blalock-Taussig shunt which was also used for a similar purpose [1]. Later Potts shunt like other central aortopulmonary shunts, were discontinued because of higher risk of excessive pulmonary blood flow. A modified Blalock-Taussig shunt is still in use. Reverse Potts shunt is a pulmonary to systemic shunt for relieving pulmonary arterial hypertension. It is called reverse Potts shunt because the pressure in the pulmonary circulation is higher than that in systemic circulation [2]. The idea of creating a Potts shunt in children with severe pulmonary hypertension was based on the information that children with Eisenmenger syndrome had a better life expectancy than severe pulmonary arterial hypertension [3,4]. An unrestrictive shunt between pulmonary artery and descending aorta reduces the afterload on right ventricle from suprasystemic to systemic levels. This equalization of right and left ventricular systolic pressures produces a physiology similar to that of Eisenmenger syndrome, typically that of patent ductus arteriosus with Eisenmenger syndrome and right to left shunt. Compared to an atrial septostomy which produces global hypoxemia...
Source: Cardiophile MD - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: Cardiology Source Type: blogs