Congenital heart defect corrective surgery

The ventricular septum is the wall between the left and right ventricles (lower chambers) of the heart. A hole in the ventricular septum is called a VSD.
Small defects usually close on their own -- 90% by age 8 -- and do not require surgery. Larger defects or those causing heart failure require surgical repair with a synthetic patch.

Tetralogy of Fallot is a complex congenital heart defect with a range of severity that requires surgical correction, typically between 6 months and 2 years of age.
Types of repairs vary related to the specific defects. The ventricular septal defect is closed as described above. The pulmonary valve is opened and the thickened muscle (stenosis) is removed. A patch may be placed on the right ventricle to improve circulation to the lungs.

The aorta normally comes from the left side of the heart, and the pulmonary artery normally comes from the right side. Transposition of the great vessels occurs when these arteries come from the opposite sides of the heart from where they should.
Transposition of the great vessels requires surgical correction. If possible, this surgery is performed shortly after birth. The most common repair is an arterial switch. The aorta and pulmonary artery are divided. The pulmonary artery is connected to the right ventricle, where it belongs, and the aorta is connected to the left ventricle, where it belongs.

Truncus arteriosus is a rare condition that occurs when the aorta and the pulmonary artery arise from one common trunk. This very complex defect requires a complex surgical repair.
If the baby is very sick, the repair is done in the first few months of life. If the baby is not so sick, surgeons wait to operate until the baby is between 9 and 15 months of age.
The pulmonary arteries are separated from the aortic trunk and any defects are patched. There is always an associated VSD, which is patched. A conduit is then placed between the right ventricle and the pulmonary arteries.

Tricuspid atresia is a condition in which the tricuspid valve (the valve between the upper and lower chambers on the right side of the heart) is severely narrowed. This condition severely restricts blood flow from the right side of the heart to the lungs.
Other defects may exist with tricuspid atresia and can aid in the oxygenation of blood and flow to the lungs. A medication called prostaglandin E may be given to maintain a patent ductus arteriosus as an alternate channel to the lungs until corrective surgery can be performed.
A series of shunts and surgeries may be necessary to correct this defect. The goal of this surgery is to join the right atrium or occasionally the right ventricle to the pulmonary artery.