Truncus Arteriosus - Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis And Treatment

Truncus arteriosus is a congenital defect of the heart that is barely noticeable. When a baby is affected by this disease he or she has a single large outgoing blood vessel from the heart instead of the usual two separate vessels occurring in normal babies. In the case of truncus arteriosus, it is usually found that a hole is present between the two different lower heart chambers.

This condition is known as a ventricular septal defect. When a baby is affected by truncus arteriosus there occurs a mixture of oxygen-deficient and oxygen-rich blood that is normally separated. This results in circulatory problems that are often severe in nature. If not properly treated, it may result in the death of the baby. Surgery to treat the condition usually meets with success. Such surgery is often even more successful if the baby is less than 2 months of age.

The signs of truncus arteriosus are visible in the first week of a baby's life. A bluish-purple tint to the skin is observed. This is because the oxygen level is slightly lower than normal, which is known as cyanosis.

Symptoms of truncus arteriosus are heavy breathing, disinterest in feeding, fatigue, rapid heart rate, congested breathing, sweating, and slow weight gain. Neck vein distention and facial swelling can also be seen in some babies. If any of these symptoms persist, a doctor who deals in cardiac surgeries should be consulted as soon as possible.

Truncus arteriosus is a rare birth defect. It is associated with a condition in which a single blood vessel comes out of the ventricles. Usually, two vessels, pulmonary artery and the aorta comes out from the heart from the left ventricle and right ventricle respectively. The exact cause of this defect is not known. It may occur due to certain alterations in the genes or chromosomes of the baby.

The poor health and well-being of the mother is another factor that can cause this rare disorder in the baby. A mother suffering from German measles or any other viral disease puts the baby at risk of developing such defects. Excessive alcohol consumption during pregnancy or taking drugs during pregnancy can also cause truncus arteriosus in a baby.

Truncus arteriosus is a rare defect that occurs in babies. It can affect both sexes with equal probability. Research suggests that this congenital heart disorder occurs 1 in 33,000 births on an approximate basis.

The signs and symptoms help in early diagnosis of truncus arteriosus. Generally, babies having this rare defect are born with a bluish-purple hue to the skin and face difficulty in breathing. They are usually weak and look pale.

Technically, Chest x-ray and electrocardiogram are some of the other methods for diagnosing it. These tests provide doctors with all the necessary information to know the condition of the baby’s heart. Chest x-ray makes use of beam to produce images of internal organs and tissue on the film. Electrocardiogram detects the activity of the heart by measuring the rhythm and also measures the stress on the heart muscles.

It can even be diagnosed before birth with the help of echocardiogram. This enables the doctor to have prerequisite knowledge about the condition of the baby so that the treatment can be planned accordingly. Echocardiogram makes use of sound waves to create moving pictures of the heart and valves.

The condition can only be treated through surgery. It should not be delayed and must be performed as early as possible. Doctors usually prefer doing it when the infant is about a few days or a week old. Certain medicines are also prescribed in order to decrease the fluid in the lungs before surgery. These medications are also important to maintain the functioning of the heart, brain and other organs of the body.

The surgical procedure involves the detachment of pulmonary arteries from the common artery. The surgeon then attaches the pulmonary arteries to the right ventricle of the heart either through homograft or artificial conduit. In the method of homograft, a pulmonary artery and its valves from a tissue donor are used while in artificial conduit, a small tube that consists of a valve is inserted. After this, the process of closing the hole present in the wall between the right and left ventricles is finally done.

Truncus arteriosus is curable, if detected at an early stage. It can only be cured through surgery which should be carried out during the first few weeks of the baby’s life. The chances of a successful surgery is usually on a higher side if there are no major life-threatening complications. Most of the time, these babies live a very normal life post-recovery. However, in some cases, more surgical procedures are required as the child grows up.

Yes, truncus arteriosus is a life-threatening defect if it does not get repaired through surgery. The defects allows the mixing of oxygen-rich blood with oxygen-poor blood. This blood then goes through the single artery to the body and the lungs. Due to this, there is an overflow of blood to the lungs that puts the survival of baby at risk since it causes damage to the lungs and the heart needing to pump extra hard which leads to heart failure.

Though the causes of such congenital defects of the heart remain yet to be discovered, there are a number of factors that increases risks of babies having such condition like :

• Viral diseases contracted during childbearing stages- Diseases like German measles or other illnesses caused by viruses during the early stages of pregnancy increase the risks of the baby being born with a congenital defect of the heart.
• If proper care is not taken to control diabetes during pregnancy, the risks of such congenital birth defects are also enhanced.

The cost of treatment for truncus arteriosus depends on factors such as the severity of the condition, hospital and doctor consulted, quality of medications and post-surgical care. The cost ranges between 4-5 lakhs in India. This is an approximate value and a medical expert should be consulted to know the exact cost of treatment.