Overview
Since the Fontan operation was developed in the early 1970s as the first successful palliation for patients with different forms of single-ventricle physiology, significant advances have been made allowing generations of children to survive into their adult years. We are now challenged to address the complex medical and social needs of children and adults after the Fontan procedure.
The mission of the Fontan Center at Cleveland Clinic is to provide the Fontan patient with expert care by a team of highly specialized physicians and caregivers working collaboratively. The problems faced by Fontan patients affect not only the heart, but also several other organs including the liver and the lungs. These problems can begin to surface in pediatric patients, but increasingly in adult patients as survival after the Fontan operation continues to improve. The Fontan Center at Cleveland Clinic is uniquely positioned to serve these patients by bringing together pediatric and adult specialists in the same physical space.
The Center offers comprehensive medical, interventional and surgical treatment of specific complications, including protein-losing enteropathy and plastic bronchitis.
Our multidisciplinary team includes specialists in:
- Pediatric Cardiology (with board certification in adult congenital heart disease)
- Pediatric and Adult Congenital Interventional Cardiology
- Electrophysiology
- Congenital Heart Surgery
- Gastroenterology and Hepatology
- Pulmonology
- Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology
- Developmental Neurology
- Psychology
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Allied health professionals (nurses, social workers, nutritionists, exercise physiology and cardiac rehabilitation
To make your visit as efficient and informative as possible center specialists will review your prior history from outside records, while focusing on your immediate problems for which you are seeking attention. Your appointments will be customized to include a baseline evaluation of your cardiac status (including review of any structural or rhythm abnormalities) and of each organ system affected. Every effort will be made to schedule the necessary testing within a 24-48 hour period to give you a comprehensive opinion. A summary of our evaluation will be made available to you and to your choice of caregivers outside of Cleveland Clinic.
What We Treat
- Anomalous left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA)
- Anomalous pulmonary veins
- Aortic valve disease
- Aortic and mitral atresia
- Aortopulmonary window
- Arrhythmia surgery
- Arterial switch operation
- Atrial septal defects
- Atrial isomerism
- Atrioventricular canal
- Balloon dilation
- BT (blalock-taussig) shunt
- Cardiac catheterization
- Cardiac MRI
- Cardiac tumor
- Cardiomyopathy
- Coarctation of the aorta
- Coils & stents for heart defects
- Complex biventricular repair
- Complex congenital heart disease
- Congestive heart failure
- Coronary artery surgery
- Coronary fistula
- Cyanosis
- Double outlet right ventricle
- Ebstein’s anomaly
- Echocardiogram
- Fetal echocardiogram
- fetal heart center
- Fetal SVT
- Fontan conversion surgery
- Fontan procedures
- Genetic heart diseases
- Glenn procedure
- Heterotaxy syndrome
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
- Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS)
- Interrupted aortic arch
- Marfan syndrome
- Mitral valve disease
- Myocarditis
- Norwood procedure
- Patent ductus arteriosis
- Pediatric cardiomyopathy
- Pulmonary atresia
- Pulmonary artery stenosis
- Pulmonary stenosis
- Pulmonary atresia
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Pulmonary valve disease
- Pulmonary vein stenosis
- Single ventricle
- Tetralogy of fallot (TOF)
- Total anomalous pulmonary venous return/connection
- Transposition of the great arteries/vessels (TGA)
- Tricuspid atresia
- Truncus arteriosus
- Ventricular assist devices
- Ventricular inversion
- Ventricular septal defects
Appointments
To schedule an appointment, please call 216-445-3865.
To provide us with outside records for review prior to your arrival, you may mail, fax, or upload written records (or request that your primary institution do so) as follows:
Mail to:
Cleveland Clinic Children’s
Fontan Center, M41
9500 Euclid Ave.
Cleveland, OH 44195
Fax to: 216-445-3692.
Upload to:
Prior imaging studies, if available, may be downloaded to a disc and sent by mail to the same address as above, or uploaded to the following websites using Google Chrome:
If you need assistance with the upload process you may contact Teresa Clute at 216.445.3865.
