The Heart Institute
Neonatal Cardiothoracic Surgery
The goal of surgery in the neonatal period is complete repair of the heart defect whenever possible. Examples of some congenital defects that complete repair is offered for include:
- Transposition of the Great Arteries
In the normal heart, the right side of the heart pumps ‘blue’ blood (un-oxygenated) from the body to the lungs through the pulmonary artery (main artery to the lungs), while the left heart pumps “red” blood (oxygenated) from the lungs to the body through the aorta (main artery to the body). More...
- Coarctation of the Aorta
Coarctation of the aorta is defined as a narrowing of the upper thoracic aorta. To repair this defect, the aorta is clamped on either side of the narrowing, the segment of narrowing is removed, and the two ends of the aorta are sewn together. More...
- Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return
In the normal heart, pulmonary veins carry oxygenated blood from the lungs to the left side of the heart (left atrium), which pumps the oxygenated blood to the body. In a heart with TAPVR, the pulmonary veins connect to the right atrium, where the oxygenated blood mixed with the un-oxygenated blood through a hole in between the left and right atria. More...
- Truncus Arteriosus
In the normal heart there are two main vessels leaving the pumping chambers: the aorta, which carries blood to the body from the left side; and the pulmonary artery, which carries blood to the lungs from the right heart. In the defect known as Truncus, the two main vessels are fused into one large channel into which both pumping chambers empty. More...
Other Neonatal Surgery
Children born with single ventricle offer complex challenges, such as hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Other types of neonatal surgery include valve disorders and other complex disorders.
- Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome
HLHS is a severe congenital heart defect in which the left side of the heart does not develop during pregnancy. This means the left ventricle (the pumping chamber that sends blood to the body) and the aorta (the main artery that carries the blood to the body) and the mitral and aortic valves are very small and cannot support life. More...
- Ebstein’s Anomaly
In a normal heart, the tricuspid valve controls blood blow from the right atrium to the right ventricle. When a person has Ebstein’s anomaly, the leaflets of the tricuspid valve are not formed correctly, and the valve is located lower than normal. More...
For more information, please contact:
Heart Institute at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA)
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