Dextrocardia is a condition in which the person is born with the heart on the right side of the body, increasing the risk of symptoms that interfere with the performance of daily tasks and can reduce quality of life, such as shortness of breath and fatigue.walking or climbing stairs, for example. These symptoms occur because in cases of dextrocardia there is an increased risk of developing malformations such as swollen arteries, underdeveloped heart walls or weaker valves.
However, in some cases, the fact that the heart develops on the right side does not involve any complications, since the organs can develop properly and therefore no treatment is necessary.
- Thus.
- You only have to worry when the heart is on the right side and symptoms appear that prevent daily activities.
- In these cases it is recommended to go to the pediatrician.
- In the case of children.
- Or to the cardiologist.
- In the case of adults.
- To assess if there are any problems and initiate appropriate treatment.
In some cases, the heart may develop with a defect called a two-outlet right ventricle, in which the two arteries of the heart connect to the same ventricle, unlike the normal heart where each artery connects to a ventricle.
In these cases, the heart also has a small connection between the two ventricles to allow blood to leave the left ventricle that has no outlet, so oxygen-rich blood mixes with blood from the rest of the body, causing symptoms such as:
Treatment is usually done by surgery to correct the connection between the two ventricles and reposition the aortic artery in the right place.Depending on the severity of the problem, several surgeries may be needed to get the best result.
Malformation of the walls between the atria and ventricles occurs when the atria do not divide into each other, as well as the ventricles, so that the heart has one atrium and one large ventricle, rather than two. and the ventricle allows blood to mix and causes increased pressure in the lungs, causing symptoms such as:
Treatment for this problem is usually done approximately 3 to 6 months after birth with surgery to create a wall between the atria and ventricles, but depending on the severity of the problem, your doctor may also prescribe certain medications, such as antihypertensives.to improve symptoms until the child reaches an age when the risk of surgery is lower.
In some patients with the right side of the heart, the valve between the right ventricle and pulmonary artery may be underdeveloped and therefore does not open properly, making it difficult for blood to pass through the lungs and preventing proper oxygenation.Blood.Depending on the degree of valve malformation, symptoms may include:
In cases where the problem is mild, treatment may not be necessary, however, when it causes constant and severe symptoms, medications may need to be taken to help your blood circulate better or have surgery to replace the valve, for example.
Although this is one of the rarest heart defects, the problem of dial-in arteries in the heart can occur most often in patients with a right heart.This problem causes the pulmonary artery to connect to the left ventricle instead of the right ventricle, simply because the aortic artery is connected to the right ventricle.
Thus, the oxygenated heart leaves the heart and passes directly into the lungs and does not pass to the rest of the body, while oxygen-free blood leaves the heart and passes directly into the body without receiving oxygen in the lungs.This is how the main symptoms appear, shortly after birth and include:
These symptoms appear shortly after birth and, therefore, it is necessary to start treatment as soon as possible with the use of prostaglandins that help keep open a small hole between the atria to mix blood, which is present during pregnancy and closes shortly after delivery.However, surgery should be performed during the first week of life to place the arteries in the right place.