3 Understanding Congenital Heart Disease

Question 1

What is a left to right shunt?

Answer 1

The blood from the left heart is returned to the body instead of going to the body

Question 2

What is a right to left shunt?

Answer 2

De-oxygenated blood bypasses the lungs

Question 3

What are the haemodynamic effects of an atrial septal defect?

Answer 3

• Increased pulmonary blood flow
• RV volume overload
• Eventual right heart failure

Question 4

What are the haemodynamic effects of a ventricular septal defects?

Answer 4

• Left to right shunt
• LV volume overload
• Pulmonary venous congestion
• Eventual pulmonary hypertension

Question 5

Name 4 abnormalities in tetralogy of fallot

Answer 5

• pulmonary stenosis
• ventricular septal defect
• right ventricular hypertrophy
• over-riding aorta

Question 6

What is an overriding aorta?

Answer 6

allows blood from both ventricles to enter the aorta

Question 7

What is tricuspid atresia?

Answer 7

Absence of the tricuspid valve, leading to and undersized or absent right ventricle, requires a shunt of the entire venous return from the right to the left

Question 8

What is patent ductus arteriosus?

Answer 8

Failure to close the ductus arteriosus, the shunt vessel between the pulmonary artery to the aorta

Question 9

What is coarctation of the aorta?

Answer 9

Narrowing of the aortic lumen in the region of the ligamentum arteriosum (the former ductus arteriosus), the narrowing increases the afterload on the left ventricle leading to ventricular hypertrophy