Septal defects

The treatment of ventricular and atrial septal defects depends very much on the size of the hole. No treatment will be required if your child has a small septal defect that does not cause any symptoms or stretch on the heart

For larger ventricular septal defect, surgery is usually recommended to close the hole.

If there is a large atrial septal defect, this can be closed with an umbrella device inserted with a catheter. If the defect is too big or not suitable for the umbrella, surgery may be needed to close the hole.

Single ventricle defects

Shortly after birth, the baby will be given an injection of medication called prostaglandin. This will encourage the mixing of oxygen-rich blood with oxygen-poor blood. The condition will then need to be treated using a three-stage surgical procedure.

Tetralogy of Fallot

Tetralogy of Fallot is treated using surgery. If the baby is born with severe symptoms, surgery may be recommended soon after birth.
If the symptoms are less severe, surgery will usually be carried out when the child is three to six months old.

During the operation, the surgeon will close the hole in the heart and open up the narrowing in the pulmonary valve.
Total anomalous pulmonary venous connection

Total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC) is treated with surgery. During the procedure, the surgeon will reconnect the abnormally positioned veins into the right position in the left atrium.

Once the baby’s health has stabilised, it is likely surgery will be recommended. This should ideally be carried out during the first month of the baby’s life. A surgical technique called arterial switch is used. This involves detaching the arteries and reattaching them in the correct position.

Truncus arteriosus

Surgery is used to treat truncus arteriosus. This is usually carried out within a few weeks after birth.
The abnormal blood vessel will be split in two to create two new blood vessels, and each one will be reconnected in the correct position..