How does pulmonary atresia affect the body?
Pulmonary atresia is a birth defect (pronounced PULL-mun-airy ah-TREE-sha) of the heart where the valve that controls blood flow from the heart to the lungs doesn’t form at all. In babies with this defect, blood has trouble flowing to the lungs to pick up oxygen for the body.
What is the cause of pulmonary atresia?
As with most congenital heart diseases, there is no known cause of pulmonary atresia. The condition is linked with another type of congenital heart defect called a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). Pulmonary atresia may occur with or without a ventricular septal defect (VSD).
What happens if the pulmonary artery is damaged?
The damage slows blood flow through the lungs, and blood pressure in the lung arteries rises. The heart must work harder to pump blood through the lungs. The extra effort eventually causes the heart muscle to become weak and fail.
Can a baby survive pulmonary atresia?
Babies born with pulmonary atresia are unable to survive without an initial medication and eventual intervention or surgery, as they lack the proper connection between the right-side of the heart and the lungs. Babies born with pulmonary atresia don’t have enough oxygen in their blood to support the body’s needs.
Who is affected by pulmonary atresia?
Pulmonary atresia is a life-threatening condition, affecting one out of every 10,000 newborns. Babies born with pulmonary atresia need medication and surgery to correct the heart defect and improve blood flow to the lungs.
How long do people with pulmonary atresia live?
Pulmonary atresia with VSD is the ultimate form of tetralogy of Fallot and is estimated to represent 5% to 10% of tetralogy of Fallot patients. The survival rate without surgical repair is as low as 50% at 1 year of age and 8% at 10 years.
What is the difference between pulmonary stenosis and pulmonary atresia?
CONDITION. The term pulmonary stenosis refers to narrowing of the right ventricular outflow tract; pulmonary atresia implies complete occlusion of the right ventricular outflow tract.
Is pulmonary atresia curable?
Pulmonary atresia is a life-threatening situation. Procedures to correct your baby’s heart condition and medications to help your baby’s heart work more effectively are the first steps to treat pulmonary atresia.
How common is pulmonary atresia?
Pulmonary atresia is a congenital heart defect (the baby is born with it) in which the pulmonary valve does not develop normally or remains blocked after birth. (“Atresia” means absent and pulmonary refers to the lungs.) Pulmonary atresia occurs in about 1 out of 10,000 live births.
What are the stages of PAH?
Stages of pulmonary arterial hypertension
- Class 1. The condition doesn’t limit your physical activity.
- Class 2. The condition slightly limits your physical activity.
- Class 3. The condition significantly limits your physical activity.
- Class 4. You’re unable to carry out any type of physical activity without symptoms.