What are the symptoms & Causes of Tetralogy of Fallot

1

• Tetralogy of Fallot Symptoms Causes

www.fortisbangalore.com
2
Agenda Style
01
INTRODUCTION
02
SYMPTOMS
03
CAUSES
04
CONCLUSION
3

• INTRODUCTION

• Tetralogy of Fallot is a rare condition caused by
  a combination of four heart defects which are
  evident ever since the birth of the child.
• The defects affect the structure of the heart and
  hence cause oxygen-poor blood to flow out of the
  heart and throughout the body.
• Children and infants with this disease usually
  have blue-tinged because their blood does not
  carry enough oxygen.
• Tetralogy of Fallot is often diagnosed at the
  time of infancy or soon after.

4

• SYMPTOMS

• Tetralogy of Fallot have symptoms which vary,
  depending on the extent of obstruction of blood
  flow out of the right ventricle and into the
  lungs. Symptoms and signs to be taken note of may
  include
• Shortness of breath and rapid breathing, caused
  during feeding or exercise.
• Bluish colour of the skin caused due to low
  oxygen in the blood.
• Loss of consciousness
• Poor weight gain
• Clubbing of fingers and toes, causing an abnormal
  rounded shape of the nail bed.
• Tiring easily during play or exercise
• A heart murmur
• Irritability
• Prolonged crying

01
03
5
(No Transcript)
6

• Tet Spells
•  
• Babies and infants having tetralogy of Fallot
  will suddenly develop blue skin, nails and lips
  after crying or feeding, or when agitated.
• Tet spells which are also known as hypercyanotic
  episodes are considered a very severe symptom of
  the disease, which is usually caused by a rapid
  drop in the amount of oxygen in the blood.
• Tet spells are very common among young infants
  around two to four months old.
• As squatting increases blood flow to the lungs,
  toddlers and older children might instinctively
  squat when they are short of breath.

7
CAUSES
Tetralogy of Fallot takes place during fetal
growth when the heart of the baby is developing.
Factors like a viral illness, poor maternal
nutrition or genetic disorders might increase the
risk of this condition, while in certain cases,
the cause of the disease is yet unknown.   The
four abnormalities in the tetralogy of Fallot
include   Ventricular septal defect - This
defect results in a hole in the septum that
separates the two lower chambers of the heart.
The deoxygenated blood enters the right ventricle
through the hole, and hence the blood that has
circulated through the body is returning to the
lungs to replenish its oxygen supply and to flow
to the left ventricle and end up mixing with the
oxygenated blood fresh from the lungs. Pulmonary
valve stenosis -It is depicted as the narrowing
of the pulmonary valve, which separates the lower
right chamber of the heart from the main blood
vessels leading to the lungs resulting in the
constriction of the pulmonary valve hence
reducing the blood flow to the lungs.
8
(No Transcript)
9
Right ventricular hypertrophy - When the pumping
action of the heart is overworked, it causes the
muscular wall of the right ventricle to thicken
which may lead the heart to stiffen, become weak
and eventually fail. Overriding aorta - In
normal cases, the aorta or the main artery
leading out to the body branches off the left
ventricle. In the case of tetralogy of Fallot,
the aorta is shifted slightly to the right and is
positioned directly above the defect where the
aorta receives blood from both the right and left
ventricles hence, mixing the oxygen-poor blood
from the right ventricle with the oxygen-rich
blood from the left ventricle.   Tetralogy of
Fallot is usually treated by open-heart surgery
in the first year of life of the baby in any
heart hospital in Bangalore. The timing of
surgery depends on the symptoms and signs of the
baby. This disease occurs in about 1 in 2000
new-borns where males and females are affected
equally and can be treated by heart specialist in
Bangalore.
10

• Thank you