Congenital heart defects are the most common type of birth defect in the United States, affecting more than 40,000 babies yearly (1% of births nationally). But many are treatable, especially when detected early.
If you or a loved one has a heart defect, Muthu Velusamy, MD, FACC, ABVM, and our team at Cardiovascular Institute of America, can diagnose and treat the problem — and protect your long-term health. With offices in Tampa and Citrus Park, Florida, Dr. Velusamy offers superior care for a full scope of cardiovascular conditions, including heart defects.
The following are common forms of heart defects:
People with truncus arteriosus have one abnormally large artery — instead of two normal-sized cardiac arteries — to carry blood to the lungs and the rest of the body.
VSD is a hole in the wall separating two lower heart chambers. It can cause reduced oxygen within the body, or higher blood pressure within the heart.
AVS is a heart defect that occurs when a valve between the heart and the rest of the body doesn’t close and open properly. It may leak blood, causing increased pressure and heart damage.
ASD is a hole in the wall separating two chambers of your heart. This allows oxygen-rich blood to leak into other chambers.
D-transportation happens when two arteries are connected to the wrong heart chambers, impairing blood pathways. Surgery is generally needed for repair.
I-transposition of the great arteries is a condition in which the heart’s lower section is fully reversed (deformed), causing blood flow pattern reversal. While problematic, this condition is less dangerous than d-transposition of the great arteries.
Single ventricle defects are disorders affecting a lower heart chamber. It might be underdeveloped, smaller, or missing a valve. Examples of such defects include hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), pulmonary atresia/intact ventricular septum, and tricuspid atresia.
Tetralogy of fallot is a heart defect characterized by a hole between the lower heart chambers, obstruction from the heart to your lungs, a thickened muscle surrounding the lower right heart chamber, and the aorta (major artery) lying over a hole in the heart.
CoA is a narrowing of the aorta that carries blood throughout your body, negatively affecting blood flow and causing high blood pressure or heart damage.
CAVC is a large hole in the center of the heart that affects all four heart chambers. It adversely affects how blood is routed within the chambers.
PDA is an open hole in the aorta that causes blood to skip a critical step of circulation to the lungs.
Ebstein’s anomaly is a malformed heart valve that doesn’t close properly or keep blood flow moving in the right direction. Blood might leak from the lower to upper chambers. This heart defect commonly appears with ASD (a hole in the cardiac wall).
TAPVC is a defect in the veins leading from the lungs to the heart. With this condition, blood doesn’t take a normal route from the lungs. Instead, veins from the lungs attach to the heart abnormally, causing oxygen-rich blood to leak into the wrong chamber.
Pulmonary valve stenosis is a fused or thickened heart valve that doesn’t fully open, causing abnormal blood flow.
The experts at Cardiovascular Institute of America provide an array of heart defect treatment options, including:
Some minor heart defects resolve over time and don’t need treatment, while more severe conditions often require surgery.
If you or a loved one has a heart defect, our team at Cardiovascular Institute of America can help. Contact us today by phone or online to schedule an appointment in Citrus Park, Florida, or one of our two offices in Tampa, Florida.
