Tricuspid Atresia

Question: what's the combined name for tricuspid atresia, pulmonary atresia, and hypoplastic right ventricle? What is the name for hypoplastic right ventricle, pulmonary atresia, and tricuspid atresia? not just one or two but all three together. what's that called? and yes a person with all three can survive, my 3 year old daughter is living proof. she had 3 surgeries starting with 4 days old 6 months old and a month shy of 3 years old. we knew before she was born. however, she has some restrictions..

Answer: The last post is incorrect. They were referring to tetralogy of fallot, and that includes 1. VSD, 2. Pulmonary Stenosis, 3. Overriding Aorta, and 4. Right Ventricular Hypertrophy. The conditions you described together are not cumulatively referred to as any congenital defect that I am aware of. They are each a diagnosis on their own, and existing together, I am not under the opinion that a patient could survive without immediate corrective surgery, and even then, with a low probability of survival.

Question: Are you familiar with Tricuspid Atresia? My 2 year old son has tricuspid atresia and I just wanted to know like how well is your child developing, what obstacles do you have to go through, and can he/she still play like other children. My son has already had the first two surgery's and we have the last surgery this winter. He is doing well with his I just wanted to know is there anything else to look out for.

Answer: Hi! I have a two year old son also with tricuspid atresia. He is getting ready to have a Fontan surgery in a couple of weeks that I am extremely anxious about. So far his development has been great - he is happy and able to do everything a normal two year old does. He does get winded when walking up stairs and I know his exercise capacity is not perfect. When checked his oxygen saturations are usually around 84%. I hope the Fontan increases them. For his future, right now I am so worried about his upcoming surgery. After that, I don't know what to expect for him and that is the hardest part. The doctors have said a Fontan circulation is his best chance for a near normal life, so that is all I can hope for. The other thing I hope for is the rapidly advancing cardiac research and development for more solutions for adults with these kinds of congenital heart defects. Best of luck of for you and your little guy! When my son was born and in the hospital so much, it seems like many people were telling us they knew of older kids and teenagers with the same defects that were happy and that always gave us so much hope.

Question: Anyone else here have Tricuspid Atresia? I am 21 and have this congenital birth defect. I have never met another person with this defect, and from what I hear there aren't many people that 1. Have this defect and 2. Have the defect that are much older than me due to the fact that the corrective surgery was relatively new when I was born. I was wondering because I wanted to know what type of restrictions others have overcome. Example; Has anyone with my condition given successful birth? Or joined a swim or track team? Has anyone living with this condition done what they were told was impossible for them?

Answer: Hi! I'm 41, and I have Tricuspid Atresia also! I had my first Surgery in 1967, it was a Glenn Shunt, done at Johns Hopkins Hospital. I later had a modified Blalock-Taussig, done at the University of Alabama-Birmingham Hospital. I'm like you ,for the longest time I thought I was one of the few with a Congenital Heart Defect, but there are a lot more of us than you might think. ! in 125 people are born with heart defects, and now just over half of us are adults! I'm a member of the Adult Congenital Heart Association, and I can think of FOUR other people with Tricuspid Atresia who post on our message boards, and that's just off the top of my head! Drop by, register (it's free!) and get involved with the message boards... it is a lot of fun, and you will learn a lot. And you won't feel like you are out there by yourself anymore!

Question: Surgical treatment of tricuspid valve atresia? I read about the sequence of surgeries: first the Blalock-Taussig shunt, then the Glenn operation, and then finally the Fontan procedure. Why is this sequence used? Why isn't the Glenn operation and the Fontan procedure done at the same time, and the Blalock-Taussig shunt skipped entirely? Thanks.

Answer: I have Tricuspid Atresia, but my surgical treatment was different. I had the Glenn procedure at six months; the Modified Blalock-Taussig at 10 years; and the Fontan at 21. But I was born in 1966, and they were using a different form of the Glenn back then. Today it is known as a "Bidirectional Glenn Shunt", and sends blood to both lungs. My Glenn only goes to the right lung -- according to my Cardiologist, they changed the way the operation was performed in the mid 1980's. A "by-the-book" Modified Blalock-Taussig dictates the use of a Gortex tube to create the shunt, but surgeons like to keep things as simple as possible. The less time the patient is out; and the fewer times that he/she needs to be operated on, the better. So if it is possible to use existing blood vessels to create the shunt, the surgeon will do it. The sequence of operations is dictated by what various medical tests show the doctors is the best route to take. And after the first operation, of course, the patient has a completely different anatomy. That also dictates what will happen next.

Question: I have Tricuspid Atresia, can I have a baby? I just curious about have a baby. I can't find a site that says anything about a mother having this problem but still wanting a baby. Help me!

Answer: I found the first source below to have some encouraging information...it is a medical reference site...I suggest that you give it some attention. Although, certain precautions are indicated, it appears that you should be able to carry a baby to term.

Question: Potty training question. 4 yr. old daughter has tricuspid atresia and is learning delayed.? She seems to have no control with urinating. She sits on toilet and is understanding the routine, but not understanding holding it until getting to toilet. Are there any good potty training books for learning delayed children. Any good advice?

Answer: Are you putting her in diapers, or pullups, or underware? I am potty training my own son right now, but my sister has potty trained 5 of her own (one was learning delayed) She told me that if they are doing good to try putting them in underware. It is hard for them to remember to go to the potty if it feels like a diaper between their legs. She said it was easier for them to remember if it was cloth. Also a good thing to think of is it takes 11 months for the average child to become completely potty trained. So (and I know it's hard) try not to get to discouraged. I hope that helps and good luck!!

Question: pls answer/help my daughter has Tricuspid atresia and pulmonary atresia with VSD. Dr. said she's inoperable. what can we do? What can we do? We're from Philippines, my daughter is 7 months old now. She's inoperable because her arteries are too small for the BT shunt or Glenn. What else can we do? We're from Philippines. My baby is 7 months old only.

Answer: I would suggest a second opinion, I was born with truncus arterious and have had two surgeries.

Question: What are the effects of to much sugar for a toddler with a heart condtion? My daughter was born with tricuspid atresia with pulmonary atresia and a small VSD. She was has had the BT shunt and the Glenn, she has not had the Fontan yet because she is only 20 months old. I asked this question because my family totally over look the fact the my daughter has heart condition and keep giving her pop, candy, cookies. I keep trying to tell them not to but they wont listen to me, some people well actually go behind my back and give this stuff to her. I want to be able to tell them exactly what could happened if she has to much of this stuff.

Answer: Sugar increases metabolism, heart rate, and blood pressure, let alone the desire for her to bounce around the room. The caffeine from soda will make it even worse. There are 2 potential outcomes including: 1) inappropriate healing (sometimes this issue can correct itself as the heart grows); and 2) death due to heart failure.

Question: Do you know a good doctor who do mission in Phils. for pedia cardio surgery? My daugther has Tricuspid Atresia with Pulmonary Atresia and VSD. Local Doctor said she's inoperable. According to Dr. her arteries are too small for BT shunt and glenn. What can we do? We are in Philippines. My baby is only 7 months old.

Answer: I'm sorry to hear about your difficult plight. My suggestion would be to head to UP-PGH in Manila, where you can try and get assistance there. A second opinion never hurts. Try going to the other government hospitals also, such as Jose Reyes Memorial or East Avenue. There are a number of things you can try and do. Do you have PhilHealth? You can also try approaching charitable organizations for monetary assistance, such as ABS-CBN or even your local government officials. I'm not in the field of Pedia-Cardio, and will not attempt to give you false hopes, but maybe you can try these options first. Godspeed.

Question: Ever since my mom forced me onto her diet my health hasn't been the same. PLEASE help!? I am currently 18. On new years eve when I was 17 my mom made the resolution that she would go on a diet. She has always tried to do diets, and never stays on them long. This time she would, cause her sister is doing it too. Well, when my mom told me she would do this, my aunt asked,"So, do you want to be on a diet too?" I said no, cause well, I am 5'3 and at that time I weighed about 120. I sure as heck don't need to be on one. Well, needless to say, my mom forced me to be on the diet with her, even though I was 17 and could easily make my own food. I was born with a heart disease (Tricuspid Atresia, not sure if it's vital to know but I'm saying it anyways) and my mom put us on a Fiber Carbo Hydrates diet, not even asking our doctors if its right for us. She didn't ease us into it or anything, and for 7 months my stomach went through heck. I started having bad gas and became more bloated than ever. I started having troubles using the bathroom (bm of course), especially near period time. I was constantly constipated. It hurted to burp. If I wasnt't constipated, I was having the runs. I also started getting sick more often. I've always rarely been sick, but within the 7 months I got more sick more often. My mother complained it was because I wasn't taking enough vitamins, and tried to get me to take more vitamin C pills (despite the fact that I was drinking plenty of lemonade and apple juice, and eating fruits with vitamin C). In early august I moved out of my moms house. Now my diet is back to the same routine as it was before she changed my diet (practically to a T). My health is still lower than normal, and with the horrible flus going around, it seems every month I am sick. I just got over a stomach and head bug with a temp of 102.3 the highest. My question is, does anyone know how long it will take my health to get back to normal?

Answer: If I were you, I would go see a doctor. An MD could give you a better answer than any of us on here can. In the meantime, maybe try to eat a balanced diet that's mostly veggies and not too many highly-processed foods. But seriously, go see a doctor. If you're in college (I'm assuming you are, if you're 18) it shouldn't be too hard--just call university health services.