Congenital_Heart_Disease_Types_Flashcards

Question 1

What are the most common causes of acyanotic congenital heart disease?

Answer 1

Ventricular septal defects (VSD) - most common, accounts for 30%, atrial septal defect (ASD), patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), coarctation of the aorta, aortic valve stenosis.

Question 2

Which is more common, VSD or ASD?

Answer 2

VSDs are more common than ASDs. However, in adult patients ASDs are the more common new diagnosis as they generally present later.

Question 3

What are the most common causes of cyanotic congenital heart disease?

Answer 3

Tetralogy of Fallot, transposition of the great arteries (TGA), tricuspid atresia.

Question 4

Which is more common, Fallot’s or TGA?

Answer 4

Fallot’s is more common than TGA. However, at birth TGA is the more common lesion as patients with Fallot’s generally present at around 1-2 months.

Question 5

What does the presence of cyanosis in pulmonary valve stenosis depend on?

Answer 5

The severity of the stenosis and any other coexistent defects.

Question 6

summarise

Answer 6

Congenital heart disease: types

Acyanotic - most common causes
ventricular septal defects (VSD) - most common, accounts for 30%
atrial septal defect (ASD)
patent ductus arteriosus (PDA)
coarctation of the aorta
aortic valve stenosis

VSDs are more common than ASDs. However, in adult patients ASDs are the more common new diagnosis as they generally presents later.

Cyanotic - most common causes
tetralogy of Fallot
transposition of the great arteries (TGA)
tricuspid atresia

Fallot’s is more common than TGA. However, at birth TGA is the more common lesion as patients with Fallot’s generally presenting at around 1-2 months

The presence of cyanosis in pulmonary valve stenosis depends very much on the severity and any other coexistent defects.

Question 7

Which one of the following is a cause of cyanotic congenital heart disease?
​
Atrial septal defect
Ventricular septal defect
Transposition of the great arteries
Coarctation of the aorta
Patent ductus arteriosus

Answer 7

Which one of the following is a cause of cyanotic congenital heart disease?

Atrial septal defect
3%
Ventricular septal defect
8%
Transposition of the great arteries
77%
Coarctation of the aorta
5%
Patent ductus arteriosus
7%

Transposition of the great arteries is cyanotic
Important for meLess important
The correct answer is Transposition of the great arteries. This condition is a type of cyanotic congenital heart disease, which means it’s present at birth and causes low levels of oxygen in the blood, leading to a blue or purple tint to the skin (cyanosis). In transposition of the great arteries, the two main arteries leaving the heart are reversed (transposed), causing oxygen-poor blood to be circulated around the body. This results in cyanosis soon after birth.

The first incorrect option is an Atrial septal defect. This is a hole in the wall between the two upper chambers of your heart (atria). The condition can lead to shunting of blood from the left atrium to right atrium due to higher pressure on the left side but this usually does not cause cyanosis as oxygenated blood from the left side mixes with deoxygenated blood on the right side resulting in slightly less oxygenated blood but not enough to cause cyanosis.

Secondly, Ventricular septal defect refers to a hole in the wall separating the lower chambers of the heart (ventricles). Similar to atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect also results in shunting of blood from the left ventricle to the right ventricle but does not cause cyanosis as it leads to increased pulmonary circulation and over time can lead to Eisenmenger syndrome where there might be reversal of shunt leading to cyanosis but that’s a late complication and not immediate.

Coarctation of the aorta is another incorrect option. It’s a narrowing that occurs in part of the aorta, which carries oxygen-rich blood from your heart out into your body. Coarctation itself doesn’t directly result in cyanosis; instead, it can lead to hypertension and complications related with it.

Lastly, Patent ductus arteriosus refers to an abnormal persistence after birth of an open lumen in the ductus arteriosus, a small vessel connecting the pulmonary artery and descending thoracic aorta during fetal life for bypassing lungs. In normal circumstances this closes soon after birth and if remains patent leads again like ASD/VSD leads to left-to-right shunt increasing pulmonary circulation but not causing cyanosis unless there is reversal due to late complications similar to Eisenmenger syndrome mentioned above.