Double Inlet Left Ventricle

     No matter how many times I research my sons  defect I can never get enough. I always feel that I'm not as aware of his heart structure as I should be. He has Double Inlet Left Ventricle, (large) Atrial Septal Defect, Ventricular Septal Defect and Pulmonary Atresia.

 
      Double Inlet Left Ventricle


      DILV occurs in 5-10 of 100,000 births and the cause of this defect is unknown. It is known as one of the single ventricle defects. He has a large left ventricle (pumping chamber that provides the body with blood) and a small right ventricle (pumping chamber that provides lungs with blood). In a normal heart the right and left ventricles get blood from the right and left atria's. Oxygen-poor blood comes back from the body to the atria's. The right ventricle pumps blood to the pulmonary artery, which carries blood to to the lungs to pick up oxygen.

     The blood now is oxygen rich and goes to the left and right ventricle. The aorta carries the oxygen-rich blood to the body.

     In DILV however, only the left ventricle is developed and both upper chambers put blood into the that ventricle. This means that the oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor blood is mixing and that mixed blood is pumped into his body.

     Atrial Septal Defect (ASD)


     This defect enables blood from the left atria and right atria to mix. In a normal heart the two chambers are seperated by a septum. His septum is missing and allows the oxygen-rich blood and oxygen-poor blood to mix.

     Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD)


     VSD is a lot like the ASD but only with the bottom chambers. The right and left ventricles.

     Pulmonary Atresia (PA)

     PA is a malformation of the Pulmonary Valve in which the valve fails to develop. The valve is completely closed and restricts the flow of blood from heart to lungs. The pulmonary valve is on the right side between the right ventricle and pulmonary artery.




     DILV requires a number of open heart surgeries. Jeffrey required the Norwood surgery, Glenn, and Fontan. He requires extensive speech therapy and many specialists but to see him you wouldn't believe he lives with multiple heart defects.