Treatment:

A medicine called prostaglandin E1 is usually used to help the blood move (circulate) into the lungs. This medicine keeps a blood vessel open between the pulmonary artery and aorta. The vessel is called a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA).

Other treatments include:

• Heart catheterization to repair the problem
• Open heart surgery to repair or replace the valve, or to place a tube between the right ventricle and the pulmonary (lung) arteries
• Reconstructing the heart as a single ventricle (for some patients)
• Heart transplant

Expectations (prognosis):

Most cases can be helped with surgery. However, how well a baby does depends on:

• Quality of the blood vessels supplying the heart
• How well the heart is beating
• Amount of leakiness of the other heart valves

Outcomes can vary because of the different forms of this defect. The baby could have only a single catheter-based procedure, or could need three or more surgeries and have only a single working ventricle. The outcome is difficult to predict without knowing all details about the patient's condition.

Complications:

• Delayed growth and development
• Seizures
• Stroke
• Infectious endocarditis
• Heart failure
• Death

Calling your health care provider:

Call your health care provider if the baby has:

• Problems breathing
• Skin or nails that appear blue (cyanosis)