Tetralogy Of Fallot Essay

Tetralogy of Fallot is a congenital heart disease with four basic disorders occurring together to produce a multi-faceted disorder. These four defects (ventricular septal defect, overriding aorta, pulmonary stenosis, and right ventricular hypertrophy) usually occur with a patent ductus arteriosis, so the newborn does not die from lack of oxygen immediately. About 0.04% of babies are born with the disorder, which may either be inherited or occur without any family history of the disorder. This disease may develop as early as the 7th week of fetal development.
The ventricular septal defect, a large hole in the interventricular septum, allows the mixing of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood in the heart, causing poor circulation of either type of blood. The overriding aorta occurs as the aorta has become larger than it should be and receives blood from both the left and right ventricle, instead of only receiving blood from the left. The pulmonary …show more content…
When a child with cyanosis is brought in for testing, doctors will first test for lung disorders by giving the child extra oxygen. If the child does not respond to the hyperoxia testing, doctors usually perform an echocardiograph to check for congenital heart defects after listening to heart sounds and hearing a heart murmur. If needed, doctors may do a cardiac catheterization to check artery patterns in the heart. As soon as doctors determine that the child has tetralogy of Fallot, they check oxygen levels. If oxygen levels are not sufficient, an infusion of prostaglandin is given to keep the ductus arteriosis open, allowing more blood flow to the lungs. After 6 months, the child goes into surgery to repair the hole in the interventricular septum and remove the obstruction in front of the pulmonary trunk. Complications may arise if the coronary vessels make fixing the pulmonary stenosis impossible to do

Show More

Related Documents: Tetralogy Of Fallot Essay

Tetralogy of Fallot Essay