Procedure Description:

EPS and Ablation

An electrophysiological study is a test used to quantify the heart's electrical activity and identify irregular heartbeats, or arrhythmias. One treatment used to treat some forms of arrhythmias is catheter ablation.

Disease Overview:

Tricuspid atresia:

Tricuspid atresia is a congenital heart defect, which is a cardiac condition that exists from birth. Between the two chambers of the right heart, there is no valve. Rather, the blood flow between the chambers of the right heart is obstructed by a solid sheet of tissue. The illness restricts how much blood the heart can pump. An underdeveloped right lower heart is the result of tricuspid atresia.

Disease Signs and Symptoms:

Symptoms of tricuspid atresia typically appear shortly after delivery. Tricuspid atresia symptoms can include:

1. Blue or gray lips and skin as a result of insufficient blood oxygen

2. Having trouble breathing

3. Easily fatigued, particularly after feedings

4- Poor weight gain and slow growth

Certain individuals who have tricuspid atresia may also experience heart failure symptoms. Symptoms of heart failure include:

1. Weakness and exhaustion

2. Breathlessness

3. Inflammation of the foot, ankles, and legs

4. Ascites, a disorder characterized by abdominal swelling

5. Abrupt weight gain brought on by a fluid accumulation.

Disease Causes:

Before a baby is born, a normal prenatal ultrasound may reveal tricuspid atresia. Receiving appropriate prenatal care is crucial while pregnant.

A medical professional checks the newborn right away after delivery and listens to the heart and lungs. When a baby exhibits blue or gray skin, breathing difficulties, or an irregular heart sound known as a heart murmur, the healthcare professional may suspect a cardiac condition such as tricuspid atresia. A cardiac murmur can be brought on by variations in the blood flow to and from the heart.

A few possible tests to identify tricuspid atresia are:

1- Echocardiogram. Moving pictures of blood flow via the heart and heart valves are produced by sound waves. An echocardiography reveals an absent tricuspid valve and abnormal blood flow in a baby with tricuspid atresia.

2. ECG. This rapid and painless test, often known as an ECG or EKG, captures the electrical activity of the heart. It may display the heart rate in both rapid and slow waves.

3. Oximetry via pulse. The blood's oxygen content is measured by a tiny sensor that is affixed to the hand or foot. Pulse oximetry is an easy, painless procedure.

4. X-ray of the chest. An X-ray of the chest can reveal the state of the lungs and heart. It can be used to estimate the heart's volume and chamber sizes.

Disease Treatment:

When tricuspid atresia occurs, tricuspid valve replacement is not possible. Many procedures are frequently performed to enhance blood flow through the heart and to the lungs if your child has tricuspid atresia. The purpose of medication is to control symptoms.

Medication: Tricuspid atresia medications can be used to: Lower blood pressure, Strengthen the heart muscle, Take out any extra fluid from the body. To assist the baby breathe more easily, more oxygen may be administered.

A infant with tricuspid atresia may be administered prostaglandin hormone prior to heart surgery in order to assist keep the ductus arteriosus open and broaden.

Procedures such as surgeries:

A newborn with tricuspid atresia frequently requires multiple cardiac treatments or operations. Some of these are short-term solutions meant to boost blood flow in a hurry before a more involved operation is carried out.

Both minimally invasive and open heart surgery are options for treating tricuspid atresia. The particular congenital cardiac defect determines the kind of heart surgery that is needed.

1. Shunting: This process makes a new blood channel, or shunt. A shunt in tricuspid atresia diverts blood from the main blood channel that leaves the heart and goes to the lungs. Blood flow to the lungs is increased by shunting. It enhances the amounts of oxygen.

2. Glenn surgery: The initial shunt is removed by the surgeon during the Glenn procedure. The lung artery is then immediately linked to one of the big veins that normally sends blood to the heart. 

3. Fontan procedure: Children between the ages of two and five usually undergo this kind of cardiac surgery. Most, if not all, of the blood that would have gone to the right heart can now travel straight into the pulmonary artery because to the conduit it establishes.

4- Placement of a pulmonary artery band: If a baby with tricuspid atresia has a ventricular septal defect, this treatment may be performed. To lessen the quantity of blood flowing from the heart into the primary lung artery, the surgeon inserts a band around it.

5. Atrial septostomy: In rare cases, the space between the upper chambers of the heart is made larger or created using a balloon. More blood can now move from the right upper chamber to the left upper chamber as a result.

6. Catheter ablation: In patients who are at risk of developing cardiac arrhythmias, such as atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, and Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, catheter ablation is a procedure that uses radiofrequency energy or other sources to terminate or modify a defective electrical pathway from sections of the heart.

Babies with tricuspid atresia require routine examinations after therapy, preferably with a pediatrician skilled in treating congenital cardiac problems.