Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF)

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At a glance

Overview

Tetralogy Of Fallot (TOF) is an unusual condition due to a combination of four heart defects that occur since birth. These abnormalities that damage the heart function lead to oxygen-deficient blood circulating into the rest of the body from the heart. Depending on the degree of blood supply from and through the lungs from the right ventricle, the signs can differ.

A bluish skin color caused by less oxygen in the blood
Breath shortness and fast respiration, especially during feeding
Loss of awareness
An abnormal, circular nail shape called finger and toe clubbing
Poor growth in weight
Tire throughout playing easily
Irritableness

You get the assistance of a doctor immediately if you experience these signs.

During fetal development, as a baby’s heart grows, Fallot TOF or Tetralogy occurs. Different factors affect TOF, for example:

A bad diet of the mother
Genetic defects or infectious disease

In addition, the anomalies in the TOF are:

Pulmonary valving Stenosis: the flap that separates the right ventricle of the heart from the pulmonary artery, the primary blood vessel leading to the lungs, is the narrowing of the pulmonary valve.

Ventricular Septal Defect: There is a wall opening separating the two lower rooms known as the heart ventricles.

Aorta: The aorta, the primary artery that connects to the body, is normally branched from the left ventricle. In TOF the aorta slightly falls to the right and sits immediately over the septal defect of the ventricular.

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Treatment at B.P Poddar:

Medicines can be used to treat valve stenosis if symptoms are moderate. If the complications go beyond medicine, surgery is recommended. Balloon Mitral Valvotomy is the most common surgery for mitral valve stenosis. Surgery is Fallot tetralogy’s most possible therapy. Surgery options include intra-heart replacement or a temporary shunt procedure. Intra-cardiac recovery happens in most babies and older children. Your physicians or doctors for your child will decide the most effective operation and schedule depending on the state of your child.

In certain cases, the opening of two large blood vessels in the heart can take medication. This will help prevent blood from circulating from the heart into the lungs until the heart repairs.

Intracardiac repair

For the first year after birth, the open heart procedure typically requires a variety of repairs. This treatment is rarely applicable to adults with Tetralogy of Fallot if they do not have an operative restoration as babies. To close the opening in the lower chambers of the heart (ventricles), the surgeon sets a patch on the ventricular septal defect. The shortened pulmonary valve is repaired or removed, widening lung arteries and increasing blood supply to the lungs. As the right ventricle will not need to function too hard to pump blood after this operation, its usual thickness will return to the right ventricle wall. The blood oxygen level increases and symptoms decline after intracardial repair.

Temporary Surgery

Babies often need a temporary (palliative) procedure in order to increase the supply of blood into the lungs, until intracardiac repair. It can be done if the baby is prematurely born or has undeveloped (hypoplastic) pulmonary arteries. This operation allows the surgeon to bypass (shunt) a large artery, which branches off the aorta and the pulmonary artery. The surgeon will remove the shunt during the operation for intracardiac surgery until your baby is ready for the surgery.

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