[1] This procedure joins the pulmonary artery and the aorta in situations where the systemic circulation is obstructed.
It is commonly used when a patient has the combination of a small left ventricle and a transposition of the great arteries (TGA); in this case, the procedure allows blood to flow from the left ventricle to the aorta.
At that time, the procedure was used for patients who had TGA with a ventricular septal defect (VSD).
The procedure was later accomplished via a "double-barrel" technique that resulted in a new aorta with two valves.
Later, a modified DKS was reported in which an aortic flap technique was utilized.