Congenital heart defect corrective surgery

TAPVR is a condition in which the pulmonary veins bring oxygenated blood from the lungs back to the right side of the heart, rather than to the left side of the heart, where it should be.
This condition requires surgical correction, the timing of which depends on how sick the baby is. The surgery may be done in the newborn period if the infant has severe symptoms. If not done immediately, it is done in the first six months of life.
TAPVR repair is an open-heart procedure. The pulmonary veins are attached to the left atrium, where they belong, and any abnormal connections are closed.
If a PDA is present, it is tied off.

This is a very severe heart defect that results from a severely underdeveloped heart, and causes death in most affected babies. Only a few cardiac centers have reported any success in treating this defect, but results are slowly getting better with surgical advances. Therefore, parents must decide how aggressively they want the medical team to treat their child, knowing the chances of a good outcome are low.
The best reported results are with a series of 3 heart operations. The first operation is done in the first week of life: a complicated surgery in which a single vessel is formed from the pulmonary artery and aorta to create a blood supply to the lungs and the body.
At about 4-6 months of age, the second operation is performed. A third operation is required a year later.
A heart transplant may be performed to treat this condition, but donor hearts for infants are rare and the procedure can only be performed at a small number of centers.

Indications:

The type and timing of surgical repair depends on the child's condition and the type and severity of heart defects.

In general, symptoms that indicate that surgery is needed include the following:

Blue or gray skin, lips, and nail beds (cyanosis), meaning there is not enough oxygen in the blood (hypoxia)
Difficulty breathing because the lungs are "wet," congested, or fluid-filled (congestive heart failure)
Problems with heart rate or rhythm (arrhythmias)
Excessive workload on heart that interferes with breathing, feeding, or sleeping