A technique for repair of atrioventricular canal defect in dextrocardia

Congenital heart disease with dextrocardia, situs solitus, is not uncommonly seen in paediatric cardiac surgery. An approach through the right atrium for correction of associated cardiac anomalies is needed in most of these cases. We present a technique for operating on this subset of patients wherein the heart can be displaced into the left pleural space allowing for surgery in an anatomical orientation that is familiar to the surgeon and emphasize the precautions to be taken following surgery.