Cyanotic Heart Disease

Question 1

What can congenital heart disease be divided into?

Answer 1

Cyanotic and Acyanotic

Question 2

How does cyanosis occur?

Answer 2

Deoxygenated blood enters the systemic circulation

Question 3

How does cyanotic heart disease occur?

Answer 3

Blood can bypass the pulmonary circulation and the lungs.

Question 4

What does cyanotic heart disease occur due to?

Answer 4

Right-to-left shunt.

Question 5

Which heart conditions cause left-to-right shunt and therefore are acyanotic heart disease?

Answer 5

• Ventricular septal defect (VSD)
• Atrial septal defect (ASD)
• Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA)
• Transposition of the great arteries

Question 6

Which of these conditions don’t usually cause cyanosis?

Answer 6

VSD
ASD
PDA

Question 7

Why do VSD, ASD and PDA not cause cyanosis?

Answer 7

Pressure in the left side of the heart is much greater than the right side and blood will flow from the area of high pressure to the area of low pressure
–left to right

Question 8

What are the most common causes of cyanotic heart disease?

Answer 8

• tetralogy of Fallot
• transposition of the great arteries (TGA)
• tricuspid atresia

Question 9

What is the medical management of a neonate presenting with cyanotic heart disease?

Answer 9

Prostaglandin E1

Question 10

What is an example of prostaglandin E1?

Answer 10

Alprostadil

Question 11

Why would you give a prostaglandin E1?

Answer 11

To maintain the patent ductus arteriosus

Holding measure until surgical correction can be done