The Fontan procedure, step by step

A surgical sequence drawn for Medscape Education, where every stage has to be true to the one before it.

The Fontan procedure is one of a series of operations for children born with a single functioning ventricle. This figure is one stage in a sequence made for Medscape Education, showing the heart in cutaway with the patch and sutures in place.

Keeping the view fixed

Surgical illustration depends on continuity. The heart is drawn from the same angle in every stage of the sequence, so when the reader moves from one image to the next the only thing that changes is the surgery.

Patch and suture

The patch is the point of the image, so it is drawn with a clear edge and the suture line is given room. Everything else is kept quieter, with the surrounding tissue carrying less contrast than the area the surgeon is working on.

The full Fontan sequence is in the patient education series.

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