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Tricuspid Atresia
What is it?
Tricuspid atresia is a birth defect in which the tricuspid valve is not fully formed or is missing.
The tricuspid valve is one of the main doors in the heart that allows blood to flow between the chambers. It lies between the right atrium (the chamber where blood comes into the heart) and right ventricle.
It allows blood with little oxygen to be pumped to the heart to pick up oxygen before being pumped throughout the body.
Without a tricuspid valve, the right ventricle becomes smaller. The only way for the blood to get to the right ventricle is through a hole in the septum between the atria.
This hole is called an atrial septal defect. Because the blood flow is abnormal, the blood can't get enough oxygen and the child looks blue (cyanotic).
Tricuspid atresia is a single ventricle heart defect meaning there is only one pumping chamber in the heart that works. These types of defects are among the most complex congenital heart problems known.
How is it treated?
Surgery is needed early in life and may include a sequence of operations called the Fontan procedure.