What happens if a baby has tricuspid atresia?

Baby turns blue: There is no tricuspid valve in the right side of the heart, leading to an underdeveloped right heart. Blood is not able to flow into the lungs, this is why babies turn blue, so they need a special medicine to keep open a conduit in their heart to allow blood to go into the right side and into the lungs. They also need a series of surgeries to correct the underlying problem.

See heart specialist: Tricuspid atresia is one of the cardiac (heart) birth defects of the heart. The heart is a strong pump, and pushes the blood through in one direction only. With defects like tricuspid atresia, the inside of the heart is not formed correctly, so that when the heart tries to pump the blood forward, some of the flow may go in the wrong direction. Pediatric heart specialists will do the treatment.

Will need surgery: Tricuspid atresia is absence of the valve between the upper and lower chambers of the right side of the heart. Blood is unable to flow from the right heart into the lungs to pick up oxygen, so the baby is cyanotic or blue. The baby will get a medicine called prostaglandin (pge) and will then need one or more surgeries to create a connection so that blue blood from the body gets to the lungs.

Surgery: The baby will require several operations. Initially may require a shunt (if pulmonary blood flow is reduced) and will later require a fontan correction; usually done in 2 stages at 4-6 months and completed at 2 y/o.

Highly variable: There are many, many variants of tricuspid atresia, but the baby will require prostaglandin, an IV medication at first to maintain blood flow to the lungs, and then multiple surgeries to reroute the blood. The "plumbing" will never be normal, but many people live long and fulfilling lives with these defects.

Tricuspid atresia: Typically with the common variant normally related great vessels, nicu care will be needed right after birth. A shunt surgery may be required in the first few weeks of life. A 2nd surgery will certainly be needed by 6months of life and a third surgery around 3 years of age . All the surgeries are palliative unfortunately the heart will never be normal.

Need Surgery: All infants with tricuspid atresia will require surgery if they survive (which most do). They will ultimately require a few surgeries and this depends on what form of tricuspid atresia they have--but all will ultimately require a fontan. But if no other issues, they can do relatively well overall.

T.A.: Tricuspid atresia is a cyanotic lesion - born blue. Dependent on the great vessel orientation there can be pulm stenosis or aortic coarctation. Needs to born (if possible) at a tertiary center and managed closely.