Congenital heart defect corrective surgeries

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		Heart, front view
Ultrasound, normal fetus - heartbeat	Ultrasound, normal fetus - heartbeat

Congenital heart defect corrective surgeries fix or treat heart defects that a child is born with. A baby born with heart defects has congenital heart disease. Surgery is needed if the defects are dangerous to the child’s health or well-being.

Congenital heart surgery; Patent ductus arteriosus ligation; Hypoplastic left heart repair; Tetralogy of Fallot repair; Coarctation of the aorta repair; Atrial septal defect repair; Ventricular septal defect repair; Truncus arteriosus repair; Total anomalous pulmonary artery correction; Transposition of great vessels repair; Tricuspid atresia repair; VSD repair; ASD repair; PDA ligation

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The surgeries described below are done to correct many different heart defects in children.

For more information about risks, how to prepare for surgery, and descriptions of open-heart and closed-heart surgery techniques, see: Pediatric heart surgery.

Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) ligation

• Before birth, there is a natural blood vessel between the aorta (the main artery to the body) and the pulmonary artery (the main artery to the lungs) called the ductus arteriosus. This opening usually closes shortly after birth. A PDA occurs when this opening fails to close after birth.
• Sometimes the PDA can be closed with a procedure that does not involve surgery. The procedure is usually done in a laboratory that uses x-rays. In this procedure, the surgeon inserts a few small tubes into an artery in the leg and passes them up to the heart. There are no cuts, except for a tiny hole in the groin. Then, a small metal coil or another device is put into the child's arteriosus artery. The coil or other device blocks the blood flow, and this corrects the problem.
• Another method is to make a small surgical cut on the left side of the chest. The surgeon finds the PDA and either ties off the ductus arteriosus, or divides and cuts it. Tying off the ductus arteriosus is called ligation. This procedure may be done in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).