Transposition of the Great Arteries, Pediatric A good way to understand this condition is to first think about how blood flows in the body. Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart to other places in the body. The two largest of these arteries are called the great arteries. One of them, the pulmonary artery, takes blood from the heart to the lungs. In the lungs, oxygen is added to the blood. Then it goes back to the heart. From there, the other great artery delivers it to the rest of the body. This artery is called the aorta. Sometimes, the great arteries get reversed. This is called transposition. The pulmonary artery is connected to the left side of the heart (instead of the right). The aorta is connected to the right side (instead of the left). This is a problem because the right side of the heart pumps blood to the lungs. The left side pumps it into the body. But the arteries have switched positions. So, blood that does not have enough oxygen in it gets pumped into the …show more content…
Why it happens is usually not known. It is a called a congenital condition because the baby was born with it. Treatment needs to start right away and surgery will be needed. With good treatment, most babies born with transposed arteries can grow up to live fairly normal lives. CAUSES A baby 's heart forms during the first 8 weeks in the mother 's womb. Sometimes something goes wrong and things do not form like they should. This does not happen often. Transposition of the great arteries occurs in about 20 to 30 of every 100,000 newborns. The cause is usually not known, but some conditions (called risk factors) increase the chances that a baby will be born with the condition. They include: • Things that affected the baby 's mother, such as: ○ Having diabetes (too much sugar in the blood). ○ Having a viral infection (caused by a virus) while pregnant. German measles (rubella) is an