![]() The valve leading to the main blood vessel can have blockage or leakage, which can also make the heart work harder. When this happens (often before one year of life) the patient becomes blue, and it's often too late to do successful surgery. Over time the extra blood flow damages the blood vessels in the lungs, resulting in pulmonary hypertension. Early in life this results in quite a bit of extra blood going to the lungs, which makes the heart work very hard. ![]() The blood leaving the heart can go the heart or lungs. Some patients with truncus arteriosus have a condition called DiGeorge syndrome, however a known genetic cause is only found in a minority of patients. See the section on Endocarditis for more information.Ĭongenital Heart Defect ID sheet More information for adults with truncus arteriosus What causes it? What about preventing endocarditis?įor patients with uncorrected or partially corrected truncus arteriosus, antibiotics are recommended before certain dental procedures to prevent endocarditis. Ask your child's cardiologist which activities are appropriate. ![]() Your cardiologist may recommend avoiding certain intense competitive sports. If valve obstruction and leakage is mild and tests show good heart function and no abnormal heart rhythms, your child can usually participate in some sports. What activities will my child be able to do? Your child's cardiologist will evaluate with a variety of tests including electrocardiograms and echocardiograms to determine when another procedure such as cardiac catheterization may be needed. What ongoing care will my child need?Ĭhildren with truncus arteriosus need regular follow-up with a pediatric cardiologist and they may need to take medicine after surgery. This valve sometimes becomes leaky over time and may need to be replaced. The aortic valve is actually the large truncal valve from the single vessel, which arose over the ventricular septal defect before surgical repair. Your child's cardiologist will discuss whether a balloon/stent procedure or surgery is best. Sometimes surgery is required to enlarge the narrowed area. This procedure may help extend the time between operations for conduit changes. Sometimes conduits and peripheral pulmonary artery narrowings may be dilated using a balloon-tipped catheter or an expandable stent in the cardiac catheterization laboratory. The peripheral pulmonary arteries also may become narrowed and require treatment. It may have to be replaced from time to time. The conduit connecting the right ventricle to the pulmonary artery conduit may become narrowed and blocked (stenotic) over time, or the child may outgrow the conduit. This is sometimes called a Rastelli repair. The pulmonary arteries are then disconnected from the single great vessel (the truncus) and a tube (a conduit or tunnel) is placed from the right ventricle to the pulmonary arteries. A patch is used to close the ventricular defect. This is usually done early in infancy to prevent high blood pressure from damaging the lung arteries. Surgery is needed to close the ventricular septal defect (VSD) and separate blood flow to the body from blood flow to the lungs. More information for parents of children with truncus arteriosus Can it be repaired? With only one artery, there is no specific path to the lungs for oxygen before returning to the heart to deliver oxygen to the body. This artery (the truncus) sits over a large opening or hole in the wall between the two pumping chambers (ventricular septal defect). Truncus arteriosus occurs when the two large arteries carrying blood away from the heart don’t form properly and one large artery is present instead.
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