children s health issues
Other Birth Defects of the Heart
Single Ventricle Defects
Single ventricle defects include any complex heart defect in which there is only one functional ventricle. Symptoms depend on the exact abnormality and whether Pulmonary Valve Stenosis in Children is also present. Most infants have a bluish color of the skin (cyanosis) because their blood is not receiving enough oxygen. Infants with severe pulmonic stenosis may be very blue and require a surgical procedure fairly quickly. Infants without pulmonic stenosis have excessive blood flow to their lungs and develop symptoms of heart failure (for example, rapid breathing, poor feeding, easy tiring, excessive sweating). Surgery is required to correct the heart abnormalities. Usually, multiple surgeries are required over several years. 