What is Tetralogy of Fallot?

It refers to a rare condition that involves several congenital heart defects, caused by abnormal cardiac development of the fetus in the first eight weeks of gestation, causing the blood flow to carry a reduced amount of oxygen from the heart to the rest of the body.

The term tetralogy of Fallot includes four heart problems:

Pulmonary valve stenosis.
Ventricular Septal Defect.
Aorta displacement.
Right ventricular hypertrophy.

Although it is unknown what causes this condition, some factors can contribute to its appearance, such as:

Alcohol intake during pregnancy.
Pregnancy after 40 years.
Poor nutrition during pregnancy.
Down syndrome.
DiGeorge syndrome.
Father or mother with tetralogy of Fallot.
Viral infections during pregnancy.

Signs and symptoms Tetralogy of Fallot

The severity of the symptoms depends on the obstruction, but the most frequent are:

Clubbing or enlargement of the phalanges.
Tiredness and weakness.
Blue skin due to lack of oxygen.
Fainting.
Trouble breathing.
Malnutrition.
Irritability.
Long crying spells.
Heart murmur.

Complications:

Infectious endocarditis.
Disability in adulthood.
Death.

Diagnosis and treatment Tetralogy of Fallot

Normally, the diagnosis is made after delivery or during the first months of life, through the following diagnostic tests:

Echocardiogram.
Electrocardiogram.
Chest x-ray.
Cardiac catheterization.
Pulse oximetry.

Babies affected by surgeries that repair abnormalities and need lifelong medical check-ups.

Your doctor will define the most appropriate surgery according to the case, but the surgical treatment includes:

Temporary bypass: a procedure before intracardiac repair to improve blood flow to the lungs.
Intracardiac repairs: used to patch the opening between the ventricles, correct or replace the narrowed pulmonary valve, and widen the pulmonary arteries to increase blood flow.

Long-term complications after surgery are common, including:

Arrhythmias.
Tricuspid valve leak.
Dilation of the aortic root.
Dilation of the ventricle.
Coronary artery disease
Chronic pulmonary insufficiency.
Sudden death.
Holes in the interventricular wall.

At the Cardiovascular Center, we offer you a wide range of prevention, diagnosis, timely treatment, and follow-up services to take care of you through a comprehensive and multidisciplinary care model. Come to us, we want to hear your heart.

Related centers and departments

Cardiovascular Center
Internal medicine
Radiology and Molecular Imaging
Clinical Laboratory

Fuentes:

fundaciondelcorazon.com
stanfordchildrens.org
myhealth.ucsd.edu
msdmanuals.com
mayoclinic.org
texasheart.org
medigraphic.org
Abarca ZV, Piñar SG. Tetralogía de fallot en pediatría. Revista Médica Sinergia. 2020;5(05):479-479.
Carrillo-Antonio J, Solórzano-Morales SA, Camacho-Reyes L, et al. Arteria pulmonar izquierda en hamaca asociada a tetralogía de Fallot y bronquio puente. Informe de un caso y revisión de la literatura. Anales de Radiología México. 2018;17(2):145-152.
Arredondo AV, Sánchez LF, Harrison GC, et al. Tetralogía de Fallot en un adulto complicada por endocarditis infecciosa tricuspídea. Acta Med. 2020;18(1):97-99. doi:10.35366/92013.
Marcano SLE, Selman-Housein SE, Naranjo UAM, et al. Tratamiento combinado intervencionista y quirúrgico en pacientes pediátricos con tetralogía de Fallot. CorSalud. 2013;5(4):379-383.

How can we help you?

The dissemination of the content of this material is for informational purposes only and does not replace, under any circumstance or condition, a consultation with a specialist doctor, for which the ABC Medical Center is not responsible for the different use that may be given to it. If you require more information related to the subject, we suggest you contact the specialist doctor you trust directly.

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Comparison of COVID-19 vaccines

Pfizer-
BioNTech

Pfizer-BioNTech

What is its effectiveness and what does it refer to?

Vaccine type: mRNA
Effectiveness: 95% after the second dose in the prevention of symptomatic COVID-19.

No Does not contain egg, latex, or preservatives.

How many doses are needed?
Two doses are needed, at least 21 days apart (or up to six weeks apart, if necessary).

Who should or shouldn’t get the vaccine?
People who should receive the vaccine are those over 16 years old.
People who should not receive the vaccine are those who have a history of anaphylactic shock (severe allergy) or who are allergic to any component of this vaccine such as polyethylene glycol (PEG) or polysorbate.

What are the possible side effects of the vaccine?
Pain where the injection was given, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain, fever, nausea, malaise, and swollen lymph nodes.

How long will it take for me to be protected and what does it protect me from?
After 14 days of having the complete scheme (after the administration of the 2nd dose), the protection period is still under study. It protects us from serious COVID-19 or requiring hospitalization.

Moderna

What is its effectiveness and what does it refer to?

Vaccine type: mRNA
Effectiveness: 94.5% after the second dose in the prevention of symptomatic COVID-19.

Does not contain egg, latex, or preservatives.

How many doses are needed?
Two doses are needed, at least 28 days apart (or up to six weeks apart, if necessary).

Who should or shouldn’t get the vaccine?
People who should receive the vaccine are those over 18 years old.
People who should not receive the vaccine are those who have a history of anaphylactic shock (severe allergy) or who are allergic to any component of this vaccine.

What are the possible side effects of the vaccine?
Pain where the injection was given, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain, fever, nausea, and swollen lymph nodes in the arm in which you received the injection.

Janssen/
Johnson
& Johnson

Janssen/ Johnson & Johnson

What is its effectiveness and what does it refer to?

Vector-based vaccine.
Effectiveness: 72.0% in the prevention of symptomatic COVID-19.
85% in the prevention of severe COVID-19.

Does not contain egg, latex, or preservatives./strong>

How many doses are needed?
Only one dose in needed.

What are the possible side effects of the vaccine?
Pain where the injection was given, headache, fatigue, muscle pain, chills, fever, and nausea.

How long will it take for me to be protected and what does it protect me from?
After 28 days of having the complete scheme (the last dose applied), the protection period is still under study. It protects us from 85% serious COVID-19 or requiring hospitalization.

AstraZeneca
and
Oxford
University

AstraZeneca and Oxford University

What is its effectiveness and what does it refer to?

Adenovirus vector-based vaccine.
Effectiveness: 82% after the second dose in the prevention of symptomatic COVID-19.

How many doses are needed?
Two doses are needed, at least 56 days apart (or up to 84 days apart, if necessary).

What are the possible side effects of the vaccine?
Pain where the injection was given, fatigue, headache, myalgia, arthralgia, and fever, which were mild to moderate in intensity and disappeared within 48 hours of vaccination.

Sputnik V

What is its effectiveness and what does it refer to?

Adenovirus vector-based vaccine.
Effectiveness: 92% after the second dose in the prevention of symptomatic COVID-19.

How many doses are needed?
Two doses are needed, at least 21 days apart (or up to six weeks apart, if necessary).

What is Tetralogy of Fallot?

Signs and symptoms Tetralogy of Fallot

Diagnosis and treatment Tetralogy of Fallot

Related centers and departments

Fuentes:

Index

Specialist in Tetralogy of Fallot