Treatment

Several types of surgery may be performed, depending on the specific heart defect and any associated defects.

Depending on the type of defect, surgeons may:

• Create a tunnel through the ventricular septal defect to connect the left ventricle to the aorta
• Switch the aorta and pulmonary artery positions, if they're reversed, in order to connect the pulmonary artery to the right ventricle and the aorta to the left ventricle
• Insert a patch to close the hole between the ventricles
• Insert a blood vessel to connect the right ventricle to the pulmonary artery, allowing more blood flow if the pulmonary artery is small
• Widen a narrowed pulmonary artery to allow more blood flow
• Conduct a series of other procedures to allow blood to move to the lungs and for the heart to function with one ventricle, if the defect is complex
• Repair any other congenital heart defects

In some infants with inadequate blood flow to their lungs at birth, a temporary procedure may be done to insert a shunt between the aorta and the pulmonary artery. The shunt is removed later in life during heart surgery to repair the defect.

Adults who were born with double-outlet right ventricle will need lifelong care and regular follow-up exams. They should see a heart doctor trained in evaluating and treating congenital heart conditions (adult congenital cardiologist).

Surgery may be needed later in life for valve disease if there's a narrowing or leakage of the heart valves. Some adults need close monitoring of their aortas and pulmonary arteries, especially if they required surgery early in life. A small group of adults may require medications for treatment of decreased function involving the right or left ventricles.