The purpose of this paper is to establish an understanding of the rare heart disease Tetralogy of Fallot. Tetralogy of Fallot is a congenital heart defect that is present at birth, with the structure of the heart being problematic. It changes the normal flow of blood through the heart. The aspects of it being explained are the overall disease and symptoms of it. Secondly, the long term and short term effects corresponding to the particular disease. Lastly, the causes, prevention, and statistics of the disease. This research will provide an insight to the disease and all aspects and forms. It will allow a better understanding on how to cope with such disease or better prepare us in a case where this disease may be present and have to be dealt with.
Description of the Disease
Tetralogy of Fallot is a congenital heart disease which involves four different heart defects in one. The four different heart defects are a large ventricular septal defect (VSD), Pulmonary Stenosis, Right ventricular hypertrophy, and an overriding aorta. These congenital defects change the normal flow of blood thro...
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.... Tetralogy of Fallot occurs during fetal growth when the baby’s heart is developing. In most cases the cause of this disease is unknown.
Prevention and Statistics
Although there is no known prevention for this disease it recommended for the mother to follow not put the growing fetus at any harm like smoking or drinking while pregnant and to regularly have checks with the doctor.
Statistics show that about 5 out of every 10,000 babies have the defect. The defect can appear in both guys and girls but studies have shown it occurs more in boys rather than girls.Tetralogy of Fallot ,although being a rare defect, is the most common form of a cyanotic congenital heart defect. Studies have shown that more cases are with TOF and having pulmonary Stenosis rather than TOF and having pulmonary atresia and both have grown over the past years.
“Hypoplastic left heart syndrome accounts for 9% of all critically ill newborns with congenital cardiac disease, causing the largest number of cardiac deaths in the first year of life.(2) ” HLHS is a severe heart defect that is present at birth. HLHS combines different defects that result in an underdeveloped left side of the heart. This syndrome is one of the most challenging and difficult to manage of all of the congenital heart defects. Multiple portions on the left side of the heart are affected including the left ventricle, the mitral and aortic valve, and the ascending aorta. These structures are greatly reduced in size, or completely nonexistent causing the functionality of the left heart to be reduced, or non-functional all together.
In addition, I was involved in studying utilizing of new echocardiography method namely “speckle tracking” to assess early left ventricular and right ventricular systolic dysfunction in surgically repaired tetralogy of Fallot. Also, I am currently studying utilization of pulmonary artery acceleration time as a method for evaluating right ventricular systolic function in small
Cyanotic heart disease is a heart defect, present at birth that results in low blood oxygen levels. With a series of surgeries, this condition is usually tr...
These causes will change the heart significantly. The pathophysiology of heart failure is described differently as: (1) an oedematous disorder, by means of which the deviations in renal hemodynamics and excretory ability lead to salt and water holding; (2) a hemodynamic disorder, considered by peripheral vasoconstriction and decreased cardiac output; (3) a neurohormonal disorder, mainly by stimulation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and adrenergic nervous system; (4) an inflammatory syndrome, related with amplified local and circulation pro-inflammatory cytokines; (5) a myocardial disease, started with an damage to the heart trailed by pathological ventricular transformation. In heart failure, the heart sustains either a sudden or longstanding structural injury. When damage occurs, sequences of firstly compensatory but consequently maladaptive mechanisms follow (Henry & Abraham, ).
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggestion that a pregnant woman should not drink alcohol during pregnancy (Advisory on alcohol use in pregnancy 2005) has been widely criticized as being unnecessarily paternalistic, but the CDC goes further into explaining that, “Alcohol consumed during pregnancy increases the risk of alcohol related birth defects, including growth deficiencies, facial abnormalities, central nervous system impairment, behavioral disorders, and impaired intellectual development” (Advisory on alcohol use in pregnancy
For Great Artery Stenosis in Children with Congenital Cardiac Disease." Cardiology in the Young 22.2 (2012): 178-183. Academic Search Premier. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.
Shaun White is an Olympic medalist and daredevil. “White was born with four heart abnormalities causing him to go through two open-heart surgeries before he was a year old” (Good Housekeeping). This condition is termed “tetralogy of Fallot – a term that describes a combination of heart defects including a hole between the pumping chambers of the heart and an abnormally narrowed valve and surrounding structures that link the right side of the heart to the lungs” (Learn). “The causes of tetralogy of Fallot among babies are unknown. Heart defects such as tetralogy of Fallot are thought to be caused by a combination of genes and other risk factors including the environment the mother comes in contact with” (CDC). The pulmonary circuit of the respiratory system is affected. In this circuit the oxygenated blood is moved from the lungs to the right side of the heart. In the early medicine era, “doctors created a shunt by disconnecting an artery leading to the arm, reconnecting it to the lungs” (Learn). Surgery is needed in order to correct the defects. “White had surgery as a baby and says he’s grateful to his doctors. Even after successful surgery, patients with tetralogy of Fallot face a greater risk of serious heart problems. [White must] get regular checkups to monitor his heart throughout his lifetime” (Mayberry). “During su...
The commonest defect is a narrowing of the main artery from the heart aortic coarctation. A regular ultrasound examination of the heart ... ... middle of paper ... ... s are relatively limited. So far, researchers think it will be possible to increase the final height by 5-10 centimeters, depending on the duration of treatment.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is an inherited disease that affects the cardiac muscle of the heart, causing the walls of the heart to thicken and become stiff. [1] On a cellular level, the sarcomere increase in size. As a result, the cardiac muscles become abnormally thick, making it difficult for the cells to contract and the heart to pump. A genetic mutation causes the myocytes to form chaotic intersecting bundles. A pathognomonic abnormality called myocardial fiber disarray. [2,12] How the hypertrophy is distributed throughout the heart is varied. Though, in most cases, the left ventricle is always affected. [3] The heart muscle can thicken in four different patterns. The most common being asymmetrical septal hypertrophy without obstruction. Here the intraventricular septum becomes thick, but the mitral valve is not affected. Asymmetrical septal hypertrophy with obstruction causes the mitral valve to touch the septal wall during contraction. (Left ventricle outflow tract obstruction.) The obstruction of the mitral valve allows for blood to slowly flow from the left ventricle back into the left atrium (Mitral regurgitation). Symmetrical hypertrophy is the thickening of the entire left ven...
This occurs when the fetal head is in the wrong position. It can also be caused by damage to the muscles of the neck or the neck of the blood supply problems.
The type of mutation that occurs in Down syndrome is aneuploidy that is the irregular number of chromosomes in a cell. The most common of the three is the trisomy 21 that occurs in about 90% of people with the disorder. In this factor the human is given three copies of the chromosome 21 instead of the common two copies. This occurs due to the complications of the cell division in the process of the egg or sperm. The next case is mosaic which happen when there are inequality of cells with three copies of chromosome 21 and others with the original two copies. Mosaic appears when there is an unexpected cell division after fertilization. The last and the rarest form is translocation and that happens while the chromosome 21 in cell division is broken off and attached to another chromosome. Since the disorder is unexpected there are numerous amounts of risk factors that are possible based on the severity of the person.
The risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome triples if the mother has smoked during pregnancy. “It is estimated that twenty-five percent of expectant mothers in the U.S. smoke throughout their pregnancies. According to a report from the Surgeon General, twenty percent of low birth weight births, either percent of preterm deliveries and five percent of all perinatal could be prevented by eliminating smoking during pregnancy.”
The only way a woman can avoid pregnancy complications associated with smoking is to quit, and she should also avoid others who smoke in order to avoid the dangers of second hand smoke.
The human heart is one, if not the most, vital organ in the human body. The heart pumps blood through the circulatory system. It is what provides the body with oxygen and nutrients. Of course, without this important, muscular, organ there would be no way to survive. “Everyday your heart beats about 100,000 times, sending 2,000 gallons of blood surging through your body. Although it is no bigger than your fist, your heart has a mighty job of keeping blood flowing through 60,000 miles of blood vessels that feed your organs and tissues” (Watson n.pag.). Any type of damage or restriction to the heart or its valves can reduce pumping. Cardiovascular diseases are examples that cause damage to the heart and blood vessels. Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death globally, accounting for thirty percent of deaths. Since the heart has such an important role in the human body, it is critical that it is functioning and working properly. An important medical test used to observe the heart is called transesophageal echocardiography, also known as TEE.