Tricuspid atresia is a congenital heart disease in which there is a complete absence of the tricuspid valve. This leads to a hypoplastic or an absence of the right ventricle. This defect is contracted during prenatal development. It causes the heart to be unable to properly oxygenate the rest of the blood in the body, thereby, the body does not have enough oxygen to live. Because of the lack of an A-V connection, an atrial septal defect (ASD) must be present to maintain blood flow. Since there is a lack of a right ventricle there must be a way to pump blood into the pulmonary arteries, and this is accomplished by a ventricular septal defect (VSD).

Treatment

• PGE1 to maintain patent ductus arteriosus
• modified Blalock-Taussig shunt to maintain pulmonary blood flow by placing a Gortex conduit between the subclavian artery and the pulmonary artery.
• cavopulmonary anastomosis (hemi-Fontan or bidirectional Glenn) to provide stable pulmonary flow
• Fontan procedure to redirect inferior vena cava and hepatic vein flow into the pulmonary circulation.