User:Mr. Ibrahem/Tetralogy of Fallot
Type of congenital heart defect / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is a type of heart defect present at birth.[4] Symptoms at birth may vary from none to severe.[9] Later, there are typically episodes of bluish color to the skin known as cyanosis.[2] When affected babies cry or have a bowel movement, they may develop a "tet spell" where they turn very blue, have difficulty breathing, become limp, and occasionally lose consciousness.[2] Other symptoms may include a heart murmur, finger clubbing, and easy tiring upon breastfeeding.[2]
Tetralogy of Fallot | |
---|---|
Other names | Fallot’s syndrome, Fallot’s tetrad, Steno-Fallot tetralogy[1] |
Diagram of a healthy heart and one with tetralogy of Fallot | |
Specialty | Cardiac surgery, pediatrics |
Symptoms | Episodes of bluish color to the skin, difficulty breathing, heart murmur, finger clubbing[2] |
Complications | Irregular heart rate, pulmonary regurgitation[3] |
Usual onset | From birth[4] |
Causes | Unknown[5] |
Risk factors | Alcohol, diabetes, >40, rubella during pregnancy[5] |
Diagnostic method | Based on symptoms, echocardiogram[6] |
Differential diagnosis | Transposition of the great arteries, Eisenmenger syndrome, Ebstein anomaly[7] |
Treatment | Open heart surgery[8] |
Frequency | 1 in 2,000 babies[4] |
The cause is typically not known.[5] Risk factors include a mother who uses alcohol, has diabetes, is over the age of 40, or gets rubella during pregnancy.[5][10] It may also be associated with Down syndrome.[5] Classically there are four defects:[4]
- pulmonary stenosis, narrowing of the exit from the right ventricle
- a ventricular septal defect, a hole between the two ventricles
- right ventricular hypertrophy, thickening of the right ventricular muscle
- an overriding aorta, which allows blood from both ventricles to enter the aorta
TOF is typically treated by open heart surgery in the first year of life.[8] Timing of surgery depends on the baby's symptoms and size.[8] The procedure involves increasing the size of the pulmonary valve and pulmonary arteries and repairing the ventricular septal defect.[8] In babies who are too small, a temporary surgery may be done with plans for a second surgery when the baby is bigger.[8] With proper care, most people who are affected live to be adults.[4] Long-term problems may include an irregular heart rate and pulmonary regurgitation.[3]
TOF occurs in about 1 in 2,000 newborns.[4] Males and females are affected equally.[4] It is the most common complex congenital heart defect accounting for about 10 percent of cases.[11][12] It was initially described in 1671 by Niels Stensen.[1][13] A further description was published in 1888 by the French physician Étienne-Louis Arthur Fallot, after whom it is named.[1][14] The first total surgical repair was carried out in 1954.[3]