In simple words: This operation creates a bypass between an artery under the collarbone (subclavian artery) and the artery leading to the lungs (pulmonary artery). This helps babies with heart defects get more oxygen to their blood until they are big enough for a more permanent heart surgery.

This procedure involves creating a surgical shunt between the subclavian artery and the pulmonary artery to increase blood flow to the lungs.It's often used as a temporary measure for infants with congenital heart defects, improving oxygenation until corrective surgery can be performed.The procedure typically involves creating an incision in the chest wall, ligating the end of the subclavian artery leading to the arm, and connecting it to either the right or left pulmonary artery. A synthetic graft may be used to create the shunt.

Example 1: A newborn infant is diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital heart defect that restricts blood flow to the lungs. A Blalock-Taussig shunt is performed to improve oxygenation until the infant is old enough for corrective surgery., A premature baby with pulmonary atresia, a condition where the pulmonary valve doesn't form properly, requires a Blalock-Taussig shunt to increase blood flow to the lungs until further intervention is possible., A baby with transposition of the great arteries, a condition where the two main arteries leaving the heart are reversed, undergoes a Blalock-Taussig shunt procedure to improve oxygen delivery prior to corrective surgery.

Documentation should include the diagnosis necessitating the shunt, operative details, type of shunt created (classic or modified), size and material of the graft (if used), location of the shunt, and any intraoperative complications.