Also known as: Partially anomalous pulmonary venous return repair, PAPVR repair.
What is PAPVR repair?
Pulmonary veins are blood vessels that deliver oxygenated blood from the lungs into the left side of the heart. Partial anomalous pulmonary venous return (PAPVR) is a heart defect that is sometimes present at birth, in which one or two of the pulmonary veins of the heart drain blood into the right atrium instead of the left atrium. This causes the oxygen-rich blood to flow back to the lungs instead of the rest of the body, which can cause a number of complications. PAPVR repair is a surgery performed to fix the problem.
What happens during the procedure?
The surgeon makes an incision in front of the chest and opens the breastbone in order to operate directly on the heart. Your child is then placed on a heart and lung machine called cardiopulmonary bypass in order to perform the surgery. The pulmonary veins that pump blood to the right atrium are redirected to the left atrium. Then he separates your child from the heart and lung machine. Then the surgeons closes the breast bone and chest incisions.
Is any special preparation needed?
PAPVR repair requires general anesthesia to be performed, which means that your child will be asleep during the surgery. The child will need to avoid foods, drinks and certain medications, if taking any, for a period of time before the procedure.
What are the risk factors?
As with any major surgery, there are potential complications, including the risk of bleeding, abnormal heart rhythms and infection. However, the benefits of this procedure far outweigh the risks.
PAPVR repair at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital: PAPVR repair is performed by Nicklaus Children’s Hospital’s team of top-notch pediatric heart surgeons using the latest cutting edge techniques.
Reviewed by: Darline Santana-Acosta, MD
This page was last updated on: April 30, 2021 10:28 AM