TAPVC: Symptoms, Classification, Diagnosis & Recovery

TAPVC repair is an emergency procedure conducted as soon as a newborn is born with an obstructive TAPVC. Some of these infants are put on extracorporeal life support (ECMO) before TAPVC repair because blood flow in their body is highly unstable.

It may take a few days to a few weeks before a surgery for TAPVC repair is conducted. The exact approach used to repair TAPVC depends on the type of abnormality that the infant has and the overall condition of the infant. The surgeon may decide to conduct a few tests to check where exactly the pulmonary veins are draining into the atrium. A TAPVC complicated by atrial septal defect is best repaired after a balloon dilation procedure at cardiac catheterization. Balloon dilation before TAPVC is performed with an intention to improve the health of the child.

Some of the following additional tests may also be performed:

• Chest X-ray
• Blood tests
• Echocardiogram
• MRI scan
• CT scan
• Heart catheterization

TAPVC repair success rate is excellent with over 95 percent success rate in children who are treated electively. A child or an adult may undergo TAPVR surgery successfully, however, that does not mean that it is fully cured. They will have to attend follow-up appointments with the surgeon in the future on a regular basis. The success rate, on the other hand, is low when the procedure is conducted on an emergency basis in critically-ill infants. Even if infants do survive after undergoing emergency TAPVC repair procedure, they will be kept under a prolonged post-surgery intensive care. They are also put on a ventilator machine to assist breathing.

Even is the repair is successfully handled, the patient is required to attend follow-up session with the surgeon for the rest of your life. During the follow-up appointments, the surgeon will check the progress and keep a tap on health conditions that may develop as the child grows into an adult. Most of the children who undergo TAPVC repair and ASD closure are able to grow and develop normally. Abnormal cardiac rhythm and obstruction in the pulmonary veins are the two post-surgical complications that may rarely occur.