Congenital heart defect corrective surgeries

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

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Truncus arteriosus repair

• Truncus arteriosus is a rare condition that occurs when the aorta, coronary arteries, and pulmonary artery all come out of one common trunk. This is a very complex defect, and it requires complex open-heart surgery to repair it.
• Repair is usually done in the first few days or weeks of the infant's life. The pulmonary arteries are separated from the aortic trunk, and any defects are patched. Usually, there is also a ventricular septal defect, and that is also closed. A connection is then placed between the right ventricle and the pulmonary arteries.
• Most children need one or two more surgeries as they grow.

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Tricuspid atresia repair

• The tricuspid valve is found between the upper and lower chambers on the right side of the heart. Tricuspid atresia occurs when this valve is deformed, narrow, or missing.
• Babies born with tricuspid atresia are blue because they cannot get blood to the lungs to pick up oxygen.
• To get to the lungs, blood must cross an atrial septal defect (ASD), ventricular septal defect (VSD), or a patent ductus artery (PDA). (These conditions are described above.) This severely restricts blood flow to the lungs.
• Soon after birth, a medicine called prostaglandin E may be given. This medicine will help keep the patent ductus arteriosus open so that blood can continue to flow to the lungs. However, this will only work for a while. Surgery is needed.
• A series of shunts and surgeries may be necessary to correct this defect. The goal of this surgery is to allow blood from the body to flow into the lungs, and blood from the lungs to be pumped to the rest of the body.

Total anomalous pulmonary venous return (TAPVR) correction

• TAPVR occurs when the pulmonary veins bring oxygen-rich blood from the lungs back to the right side of the heart, instead of the left side of the heart, where this usually occurs in healthy people.
• This condition requires surgery to correct it. When the surgery is done will depend on how sick the baby is. The surgery may be done in the newborn period if the infant has severe symptoms. If it is not done right after birth, it is done in the first 6 months of the baby's life.
• TAPVR repair requires an open-heart surgery. The pulmonary veins are routed back to the left side of the heart, where they belong, and any abnormal connections are closed.
• If a PDA is present, it is tied off and divided.