Spinal Anesthesia for Open Gastrostomy in an Infant after Stage I Norwood for Hypoplastic Left Heart

Abstract

Infants with hypoplastic left heart are at increased risk of adverse events including mortality when they undergo procedures with general anesthesia in the inter-stage period after stage I Norwood. This is primarily caused by an imbalance between pulmonary and systemic blood flows augmented by decreased function of the single ventricle. These factors can be aggravated by general anesthesia, hence the increased risk. Many of these infants experience feeding dysfunction and require a gastrostomy to optimize nutrition. We report a case of open gastrostomy in an infant with Norwood physiology under spinal anesthesia with an excellent outcome.