children s health issues
Persistent Truncus Arteriosus
Treatment of Persistent Truncus Arteriosus
Surgical repair Medication to treat heart failure before surgery Heart failure is treated with medications to improve breathing and stabilize the infant until surgery can be done. Surgery is usually done before the infant is 1 to 2 months old. The ventricular septal defect is repaired with a patch that directs all blood flow from the left ventricle to the truncal valve. Then doctors separate the pulmonary arteries from the truncus and attach them to the right ventricle using a tube (conduit). After this repair, the truncus functions as the aorta. When a conduit is placed during early infancy, its size becomes inadequate as children grow, and additional surgery is needed to enlarge the conduit. After surgical repair, affected children need to take antibiotics before visits to the dentist and before certain surgeries (such as on the respiratory tract). These antibiotics are used to prevent a serious heart infection called Infective Endocarditis . 