Tricuspid Atresia

Tricuspid atresia is a heart condition where one of the valves located between two of the four heart chambers is either absent or improperly formed. Solid tissue located where the valve should be blocks blood from flowing from the right side of the heart to the left. This condition causes bluing of the skin, lips and nails of newborns along with shortness of breath, feeding problems, poor weight gain and an audible heart murmur. Infants with tricuspid atresia may be helped with a breathing machine and by receiving a Blalock-Taussig shunt, Bidirectional Glenn, Fontan or hemi-Fontan procedure.