Infected pseudoaneurysm following a modified Blalock-Taussig shunt procedure

A 3-year-old boy with pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect, who had undergone placement of a modified Blalock-Taussig shunt, presented with a 1-week history of high fever. Computed tomography showed a pseudoaneurysm at the anastomosis between the right brachiocephalic artery and the graft. After intravenous antibiotic therapy, the pseudoaneurysm and infected graft were resected through a median sternotomy. This report describes successful management of a potentially fatal complication following placement of a modified Blalock-Taussig shunt.