The raison d’etre for a new atlas of congenital heart surgery is based on the reality that the specialty has undergone numerous changes in the last few years resulting in improved techniques and new operations. The sheer number of new procedures and the required attendant technical skills to successfully complete an operation has become a challenge to master, especially for residents who are pursuing a career in congenital heart surgery. While the techniques that we are espousing are mostly our own, there is a great deal of similarity amongst international centers owing to the influence of video presentations, manuscript publications, and chapter reviews. We therefore believe that the techniques that are illustrated in this atlas are likely to be similar to the techniques that are taught worldwide to residents and fellows. The atlas is organized generally by diseases and procedures pertaining thereto. Two general sections involve cannulation techniques and palliative procedures, respectively. A special section depicts difficult problems in the form of clinical vignettes that may arise during cardiopulmonary bypass such as: decreased venous return, undiagnosed patent ductus arteriosus, and technical errors leading to hemodynamic complications. The reader is instructed to apply measures that will lead to resolution of these problems. We have chosen procedures, which cover the breadth of congenital heart surgery. While perhaps not totally inclusive, the reader will find the greater majority of congenital heart procedures illustrated and explained in this text.
