What does the Mustard-Senning procedure accomplish?

The Mustard-Senning procedure is a surgical technique primarily designed to correct transposition of the great arteries, which is a congenital heart defect where the aorta and pulmonary artery are switched. This procedure involves creating a baffle that redirects venous blood returning from the systemic circulation (via the superior vena cava and inferior vena cava) to the left atrium. This allows deoxygenated blood to flow into the left ventricle and subsequently into the aorta for systemic circulation, while oxygenated blood from the lungs can reach the right side of the heart and be pumped into the pulmonary artery for circulation to the lungs.

By achieving this baffle formation, the Mustard-Senning procedure effectively ensures proper systemic and pulmonary blood flow, addressing the life-threatening condition posed by the transposition of the great arteries. The baffle serves as a critical pathway that rearranges the flow of blood and enables better oxygenation, which is essential for the patient's survival.

The other options do not accurately describe the purpose of the Mustard-Senning procedure. For example, a direct connection from the right atrium to the left ventricle does not occur as that would bypass normal blood flow pathways, while correcting pulmonary stenosis or placing a valve in the a