Tricuspid Atresia

Congenital heart defects, such as tricuspid atresia, affect the heart from birth. The two right heart chambers do not form the valve. Rather, a thick tissue layer stands in the way of blood flow between the right heart chambers. The illness restricts the heart's ability to pump blood. The underdeveloped right lower heart is a result of tricuspid atresia.

Tricuspid atresia prevents the body from getting enough oxygen. As a result, they get tired easily and frequently get out of breath. Their lips and skin might appear grey or blue.

Multiple operations are used to address tricuspid atresia. Despite the frequent need for additional procedures, the majority of infants with tricuspid atresia who undergo surgery live well into adulthood.

Tricuspid atresia has additional names like:

• atrophic tricuspid valve

• TV atrophy

Symptoms

Symptoms of tricuspid atresia typically appear shortly after delivery. Tricuspid atresia symptoms can include:

• Low blood oxygen levels can cause blue or grey skin, as well as lips.

• Having trouble breathing

• Easily fatigued, especially when feeding

• Poor weight gain and slow growth

Tricuspid atresia patients can experience heart failure symptoms as well. Symptoms of heart failure include:

• Weakness and weary

• breathing difficulty

• Legs, ankles, and feet swelling

• Ascites, a belly-area illness that causes swelling

• sudden weight gain brought on by a fluid accumulation

What happens in tricuspid atresia

The tricuspid valve is absent in tricuspid atresia. Blood cannot move freely between the right heart chambers because of a tissue layer. The right upper chamber cannot communicate with the right lower chamber, and vice versa. Blood cannot be pumped to the lungs from the right side of the heart any more.

Instead, a breach in the wall between the right and left upper chambers of the heart allows blood to pass directly from one to the other. Either the foramen ovale, a naturally occurring aperture, or an atrial septal defect, a congenital heart abnormality, causes the hole. A patent foramen ovale is one in which the foramen ovale does not close after birth.

Following then, blood flow is dependent on whether the heart has any more structural issues. Blood can flow from the left lower heart chamber into the body's principal artery, the aorta, in certain infants with tricuspid atresia. Through a transitory conduit known as the ductus arteriosus, it then travels to the lungs. After delivery, this bond usually dissolves.

A hole between the lower heart chambers is present in many newborns with tricuspid atresia. The term "VSD" (ventricular septal defect) refers to this opening. If this happens, some blood may pass right through the hole and into the main artery in the lung. The size of the VSD and whether the pulmonary valve is narrowed affect how much blood travels to the lungs.

Too much blood may flow to the lungs if the VSD is big. This may result in cardiac failure.