Ask the Expert

Get answers to your Pediatric Surgery questions.

Note: This is for informational purposes only. Doctors cannot provide a diagnosis or individual treatment advice via e-mail. Please consult your physician about your specific health care concerns.

Please install flash player to see this video.

Pediatrics Virtual Tour

Transposition of the great vessels - Symptom

Alternative Names

Transposition of the great arteries

Symptoms:

Blueness of the skin
Shortness of breath
Poor feeding
Clubbing of the fingers or toes

Signs and tests:

The health care provider may detect a heart murmur while listening to the chest with a stethoscope. The baby's mouth and skin would be a blue color.

Tests often include the following:

Chest x-ray
Cardiac catheterization
ECG
Echocardiogram (if done before birth, it is called a fetal echocardiogram)
Pulse oximetry (to check blood oxygen level)

Heart, section through the middle

Heart, front view

Transposition of the great vessels

Reviewed last on: 12/10/2007
David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.; and Mark A Fogel, MD, FACC, FAAP, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Radiology, Director of Cardiac MR, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

References

Zipes DP, Libby P, Bonow RO, Braunwald E, eds. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine, 8th ed. St. Louis, Mo; WB Saunders; 2007.

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997- A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.

Home > Medical Reference > Encyclopedia (English)