Cyanotic heart defect

Associate Editor-in-Chief: Keri Shafer, M.D. [mailto:kshafer@bidmc.harvard.edu]

Overview
A cyanotic heart defect is a group-type of congenital heart defects (CHDs). The patient appears blue (cyanotic), due to deoxygenated blood bypassing the lungs and entering the systemic circulation. This can be caused by right-to-left or bidirectional shunting, or malposition of the great arteries.

Cyanotic heart defects, which account for approximately 25% of all CHDs, include:


 * Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF)
 * Total anomalous pulmonary venous connection
 * Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS)
 * Transposition of the great arteries (d-TGA)
 * Truncus arteriosus (Persistent)
 * Tricuspid atresia
 * Interrupted aortic arch
 * Coarctation of aorta
 * Tricuspid atresia
 * Pulmonary atresia (PA)
 * Pulmonary stenosis (advanced)