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Chapter 6 - Surgical Anatomy of Cardiac Conduction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 April 2024

Robert H. Anderson
Affiliation:
Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University
Andrew C. Cook
Affiliation:
University College London
Diane E. Spicer
Affiliation:
University of Florida
Anthony M. Hlavacek
Affiliation:
Medical University of South Carolina
Carl L. Backer
Affiliation:
Cincinnati Children's Hospital
Justin T. Tretter
Affiliation:
Cleveland Clinic, Ohio
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Summary

The disposition of the conduction system in the normal heart has already been emphasized (see Chapter 2). In that earlier chapter, we pointed to the importance, during surgical procedures, of avoiding the cardiac nodes and ventricular bundle branches, and scrupulously protecting the vascular supply to these structures. In this chapter, we will consider the anatomy of these tissues relative to the treatment of intractable problems of cardiac rhythm, specifically the normal and abnormal atrioventricular conduction axis. The abnormal dispositions of the conduction tissues to be found in congenitally malformed hearts, features of obvious significance to the congenital cardiac surgeon, will be discussed in the sections devoted to those lesions in the chapters that follow. In this chapter, nonetheless, we will also discuss surgical procedures performed to treat arrhythmias that develop in the setting of the Fontan circulation.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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References

References Cited

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