Respiratory Distress in a Patient with Congenital Heart Disease

Congenital heart defects are among the most common birth defects affecting children. Single-ventricle defects, in which a patient has a solitary anatomic or functional ventricle, are surgically managed in three palliative stages. The first stage creates unobstructed systemic flow, the second creates a superior cavopulmonary connection, and the third completes the cavopulmonary system. Pediatric patients commonly present to the emergency department with high-acuity complaints following cardiac palliation. Common complications include effusion, thrombosis, sepsis, arrhythmia, and low cardiac output syndrome.