Absent pulmonary valve - Treatment

Treatment:

Infants who have breathing symptoms should have surgery as quickly as possible. Even infants without symptoms should have surgery within the first 3-6 months of life.

Depending on the type of heart defects the infant has, surgery may involve:

• Closing the hole in the wall between the left and right ventricles of the heart (ventricular septal defect)
• Correcting a blood vessel that connects the aorta of the heart to the pulmonary artery (ductus arteriosis)
• Enlarging the flow from the right ventricle to the lungs

Types of surgery for absent pulmonary valve include:

• Moving the pulmonary artery to the front of the aorta and away from the airways
• Rebuilding the artery wall in the lungs to reduce pressure on the airways (reduction pulmonary arterioplasty)
• Rebuilding the windpipe and breathing tubes to the lungs
• Replacing the abnormal pulmonary valve with one taken from human or animal tissue

Infants with severe breathing symptoms may need to get oxygen or be put on a breathing machine.

Expectations (prognosis):

Without surgery, most infants who have severe lung complications will die.

Surgery can treat the condition and relieve symptoms in many cases.

Complications:

• Brain infection (abscess)
• Lung collapse (atelectasis)
• Pneumonia
• Right-sided heart failure
• Stroke

Calling your health care provider:

Call your health care provider if your infant has symptoms of absent pulmonary valve. If you have a family history of heart defects, talk to your doctor before or during pregnancy.