Tricuspid Atresia Treatment & Management

  • Author: Mary C Mancini, MD, PhD; Chief Editor: Richard A Lange, MD   more...
 
Updated: May 26, 2011
 

Medical Care

The following 3 considerations guide the treatment of infants with tricuspid atresia:

  • The amount of pulmonary blood flow must be regulated in order to decrease hypoxemia or symptoms of congestive heart failure.
  • Myocardial function, the integrity of the pulmonary vascular bed, and pulmonary vascular integrity must be preserved in order to optimize conditions for a later Fontan operation.
  • The risk of bacterial endocarditis and thromboembolism must be minimized.

Routinely initiate prophylaxis against bacterial endocarditis when any invasive or dental procedure is contemplated.

  • Infants with decreased pulmonary blood flow
    • This cohort encompasses most of the infants with tricuspid atresia.
    • Marked cyanosis and hypoxemia characterize the clinical course. Acidemia may occur if the hypoxemia is profound, and death can ensue.
    • Promptly treat infants with severe hypoxemia with prostaglandin E infusions in order to maintain patency of the ductus arteriosus and improve pulmonary blood flow.
  • Infants with increased pulmonary blood flow
    • These infants have an associated unrestrictive ventricular septal defect and transposed great vessels.
    • They present with severe congestive heart failure and benefit from digitalis and diuretic therapy until an operative intervention can be undertaken to restrict the pulmonary blood flow.
  • Palliative procedures
    • The intelligent application of palliative procedures to control the amount of pulmonary blood flow in this lesion improves the survival of infants with tricuspid atresia. With standard palliative procedures, 50% of these infants can survive into their teen years.
    • Nonetheless, these children are at risk for developing complications of the disease, including paradoxical emboli, stroke, brain abscess, polycythemia, progressive cardiac dilatation, ventricular dysfunction, mitral valve insufficiency, and arrhythmias.
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Surgical Care

Most patients with tricuspid atresia require some form of surgical treatment during the first year of life. Cyanosis with decreased pulmonary blood flow is the most common indication for surgical intervention. In this instance, a shunt procedure is undertaken to connect the systemic circulation to the pulmonary circulation. The shunt can be from the subclavian artery to the pulmonary artery (Blalock-Taussig shunt) or a cavopulmonary anastomosis (Glenn shunt). In patients with severe congestive heart failure indicative of increased pulmonary blood flow, pulmonary artery banding may be required to decrease the blood flow to the lungs and to assist with treatment of the accompanying congestive heart failure.[4, 5]

  • Recurrence of the cyanosis, progressive polycythemia, decreasing exercise tolerance, shunt failure, or increasing pulmonary obstruction are indications for re-evaluation and consideration of a second operative procedure. A Fontan procedure is undertaken if the criteria are met; otherwise, a second palliative procedure should be performed.
  • The Fontan operation excludes the right ventricle through the formation of a right atrial-to-pulmonary artery connection or an extracardiac cavopulmonary anastomosis using a synthetic graft. Several parameters should be met to ensure a successful outcome.
    • The candidate should be aged 4 years or older.
    • A right atrium of normal volume and normal caval drainage should be present.
    • Sinus rhythm should be present.
    • Mean pulmonary artery pressure should be low (ie, < 15 mm Hg), as should mean pulmonary arteriolar resistance.
    • The pulmonary artery-to-aorta diameter ratio should be greater than 0.75.
    • Previous shunt procedures should not exert impairing effects.Fontan procedure: Illustration of the atrial-to-puFontan procedure: Illustration of the atrial-to-pulmonary artery anastomosis.
  • The operative procedure connects the right atrium to the systemic pulmonary artery system at the outflow tract or at the bifurcation of the main trunk. Any atrial septal defect is closed.[6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13]
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Consultations

The treatment of these children must be coordinated with a pediatric cardiac surgeon, pediatric cardiologist, neonatologist, and pediatric pulmonologist/intensivist.

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Diet

Because of the volume overload present in these children and the use of diuretics, a low-sodium diet should be prescribed. Be attentive to replacement of appropriate electrolytes and the maintenance of nutrition to foster proper growth and development.

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Activity

Encourage activity in these children, who often limit activities secondary to the presence of dyspnea from congestive heart failure.

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Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

Mary C Mancini, MD, PhD  Professor and Chief, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport

Mary C Mancini, MD, PhD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for Thoracic Surgery, American College of Surgeons, American Surgical Association, Phi Beta Kappa, Society of Thoracic Surgeons, and Southern Surgical Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Park W Willis IV, MD  Sarah Graham Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine

Park W Willis IV, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Society of Echocardiography

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD  Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference

Disclosure: eMedicine Salary Employment

Ronald J Oudiz, MD, FACP, FACC, FCCP  Professor of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine; Director, Liu Center for Pulmonary Hypertension, Division of Cardiology, LA Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center

Ronald J Oudiz, MD, FACP, FACC, FCCP is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Cardiology, American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Physicians, American Heart Association, and American Thoracic Society

Disclosure: Actelion Grant/research funds Clinical Trials + honoraria; Encysive Grant/research funds Clinical Trials + honoraria; Gilead Grant/research funds Clinical Trials + honoraria; Pfizer Grant/research funds Clinical Trials + honoraria; United Therapeutics Grant/research funds Clinical Trials + honoraria; Lilly Grant/research funds Clinical Trials + honoraria; LungRx Clinical Trials + honoraria; Bayer Grant/research funds Consulting

Amer Suleman, MD  Private Practice

Amer Suleman, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Physicians, American Heart Association, American Institute of Stress, American Society of Hypertension, Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, Royal Society of Medicine, and Society of Cardiac Angiography and Interventions

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Richard A Lange, MD  Professor and Executive Vice Chairman, Department of Medicine, Director, Office of Educational Programs, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Richard A Lange, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, and Association of Subspecialty Professors

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

References

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Fontan procedure: Illustration of the atrial-to-pulmonary artery anastomosis.
Tricuspid atresia. Frontal chest radiograph in a child with tricuspid atresia and a nonrestrictive ventricular septal defect. There is pulmonary plethora. Note the prominent right atrium.
Tricuspid atresia. Frontal chest radiograph in a child with tricuspid atresia and a nonrestrictive ventricular septal defect, mild pulmonary plethora and, atypically, a right aortic arch (arrow). Note enlarged right atrium and the typical rounded configuration of the left cardiac apex. In the absence of the right ventricle, the left ventricle becomes hypertrophied and dilated, causing the development of a more rounded cardiac apex.
Tricuspid atresia. Frontal chest radiograph in an adult with untreated tricuspid atresia. Increased pulmonary blood flow through a nonrestrictive ventricular septal defect has been tolerated for years but has led to the development of pulmonary hypertension, as shown by the large proximal pulmonary arteries (arrows) and pruned distal pulmonary arteries. The development of pulmonary hypertension prevents conventional surgical treatment.
Tricuspid atresia. Axial ECG-gated spin-echo MRI in an adult patient with tricuspid atresia shows the high signal from atrioventricular sulcus tissue (black arrow), replacing the tricuspid valve, and an enlarged right atrium. Note how the mitral valve orientation (white arrows) is abnormal. The right ventricular outflow chamber (R) is anterior.
Tricuspid atresia. Axial ECG-gated spin-echo MRI (10 mm caudad to previous Image ) shows the high signal intensity from atrioventricular sulcus tissue and the restrictive ventricular septal defect (arrow) between the ventricle and the right ventricular outflow chamber. Note the dilated and rounded left ventricular cavity.
Tricuspid atresia. Axial ECG-gated spin-echo MRI in an adolescent patient with tricuspid atresia with modified Fontan repair. The Fontan conduit (white arrow) runs from the right atrium (A) around the front of the heart towards the pulmonary artery. Note that the front of the heart is identified by the anterior atrioventricular sulcus tissue containing the signal void of the right coronary artery (black arrow).
Tricuspid atresia. Axial ECG-gated spin-echo MRI in an adolescent patient with tricuspid atresia with modified Fontan repair (10 mm inferior to previous Image ). Thick atrioventricular sulcus tissue (arrow) is noted replacing the tricuspid valve. The ventricular septal defect has been repaired, and the ventricular septum is now intact.
Tricuspid atresia. Apical 4-chamber 2-dimensional echocardiogram shows atrioventricular sulcus tissue (solid arrow) replacing the tricuspid valve in a patient with tricuspid atresia. Note the enlarged right atrium posterior to the abnormal atrioventricular sulcus tissue. A moderate-sized ventricular septal defect (open arrow) is noted between the ventricle (V) and outflow chamber (C).
Tricuspid atresia. Fluoroscopic image shows a Park blade septostomy catheter with cutting blade extended in a patient with tricuspid atresia. The catheter has been passed through a restrictive atrial septal defect, which was resistant to balloon septostomy. The blade was used to make 2 cuts in the atrial septum, starting a tear, which then was completed using balloon septostomy.
Tricuspid atresia. Frontal ventriculogram in a patient with tricuspid atresia shows the pulmonary arteries arising from a small right ventricular type outflow chamber (arrow). A restrictive ventricular septal defect and a large globular ventricle (V) are noted.
Tricuspid atresia. Steep left anterior oblique ventriculogram in a patient with tricuspid atresia shows a restrictive ventricular septal defect (between arrows) and a typically large globular ventricle (V).
Tricuspid atresia. Steep left anterior oblique ventriculogram in a patient with tricuspid atresia shows a larger nonrestrictive ventricular septal defect (white arrow). A typically large globular ventricle (V) is seen, which is receiving inflow from a single atrioventricular valve (mitral valve, black arrows). Note how the aorta and pulmonary arteries are superimposed, making interpretation of their attachments difficult. Angiography must be performed in multiple projections to fully define complex relationships accurately.
Tricuspid atresia. Shallow right anterior oblique view from a ventriculogram in a patient with tricuspid atresia shows mitral regurgitation with contrast filling in both the left atrium (LA) and right atrium (RA), through the atrial septal defect. Contrast outlines the thick band of atrioventricular sulcus tissue (arrow), which is demonstrated well on cross-sectional imaging techniques.
Tricuspid atresia. Right anterior oblique ventriculogram in a patient with tricuspid atresia shows simultaneous filling of the aorta (Ao) and pulmonary arteries (PA). Nonrestrictive ventricular septal defect was present, which necessitated pulmonary artery banding (arrow) to reduce pulmonary blood flow and protect against development of pulmonary hypertension before proceeding to a Fontan procedure.
 
 
 
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