Palliative surgery for cyanotic congenital heart disease.

Recently, there has been an increasing emphasis on definitive correction of congenital heart defects at an early age. Nevertheless, in the presence of severe cyanotic congenital heart disease, survival may depend on palliative techniques designed either (1) to promote increased pulmonary blood flow by means of a systemic-pulmonary artery shunt or (2) to promote mixing of blood by means of a left-to-right shunt. For some patients with other cases, palliative techniques serve to "buy time" until the patient attains a more desirable age and body size. Whether subsequent definitive repair is performed, the above-described procedures allow the salvage of numerous patients whose cyanotic anomalies would otherwise be incompatible with life.