What is the single ventricle?
Congenital heart defects
Single ventricle
Single ventricle is a congenital heart defect in which the right or left ventricle (LV) are underdeveloped or missing. In normal hearts are oxygen-poor blood into the right atrium, goes into the right ventricle and from there into the lungs via the pulmonary artery. In the lungs the blood is saturated with oxygen flows to the left atrium and from there via the left ventricle to the aorta (aortic). The single ventricle will all the blood coming to the heart, the oxygen-poor and oxygen-rich mix. From the common cardiac chamber, blood is pumped out of the pulmonary artery and aorta. The distribution of blood between the two arteries varies from patient to patient and determines how much oxygen that reaches out to the rest of the body.
The condition is very rare and the cause is unknown.
What are the symptoms of the condition?
Pregnancy and childbirth extends generally normal. The condition can show itself in many different ways, depending on the flow conditions through the heart. Some children experience symptoms soon after birth in the form of pale blue color. Others can be 2-3 weeks after birth become pale, or rapid heart rate and rapid breathing, severe sweating and having trouble taking in milk. Some may go a long time with very light symptoms, usually light bluish skin color, poor weight gain and reduced endurance.
How the diagnosis?
The child must be examined thoroughly to make the diagnosis. By listening with a stethoscope can often hear a murmur. The main technique for detecting single ventricle is ultrasound examination of the heart ( echocardiography ). This survey is completely harmless and takes place at the ultrasound device is placed on the child's chest. The doctor will then submit a picture of your child's heart and see if it has serious flaws.
Ultrasound scanning in pregnancy can often detect single ventricle. The advantage of detecting the condition during pregnancy is that the birth may be prepared and treatment is initiated quickly after the baby has been born.
What treatments are available?
During the acute phase, it may be necessary to provide medication and oxygen. When the situation is stabililsert, the child must be transferred to the hospital for surgery.
How is long-term prospects?
Without treatment, most children die at a young age. Modern treatments mean that many survive and grow and develop normally.
Children operated for easy ventricle increased risk of getting inflammation of the choroid in the heart ( endocarditis ) in connection with subsequent surgical treatment. This also applies to engagement of the mouth, such as tooth extraction. It is therefore important to inform physicians and dentists so that you get prophylactic antibiotic treatment in such situations.
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