Congenitally Corrected Transposition

The aim of treatment is to support the heart and protect the lungs from high blood flow if there is a VSD present. This could mean open heart surgery:

• To close the VSD;
• To repair or replace valves;
• To remove any narrowing below the pulmonary artery; or
• More complicated surgery to  redirect the flow of blood into the correct chambers.
• If your child has other heart defects, the kind of surgery needed will depend on how the heart can best be modified to cope with all the problems he or she has.

If your child has complete heart block, a pacemaker can be implanted at a very young age. For most children this surgery is low risk, but it can depend on how well your child is otherwise. The doctors will discuss risks with you in detail before asking you to consent to the operation.

For open heart surgery the length of time in hospital will usually be only 10 to 12 days, of which one or two is normally 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.

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