Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection

This condition will require treatment by surgery. How quickly the surgery needs to be carried out depends on how serious the condition is in a child. For example, if the veins are obstructed and not allowing blood to move freely into the right atrium, then surgery will probably be needed urgently.

This is open heart surgery – the heart will need to be stopped and opened to repair it. A heart-lung bypass machine will have to take over the job that the heart normally does.

The aim of the operation is to make the circulation of blood through the heart and lungs normal, so a patch is put over the hole between the right and left atrium and the veins are connected to the left atrium.

For most children this surgery is low risk, but it will depend on how well a child is otherwise. The cardiologist or surgeon should discuss the risks with you in detail before asking you to consent to the operation.

The length of time in hospital after surgery will usually be 10 to 12 days, of which one or two will be spent in the intensive care and high dependency unit. Of course this depends on how well your child is before and after the surgery, and whether any complications arise.

More about Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection