My friends son was born with his arteries backwards and had to have them fixed can anyone explain this to me?

My friends son was born with his arteries backwards and he has had sugery to fix them when he was 1st born. Now his fingers turn blue and sometimes his lips even when its 90 degrees outside. He also turns bright red in the face after playing or running around. The doctors treat my friend like she is freaking out and overly paranoid. Does anyone know more about this heart condition? I want to be there for her but I just don't understand what is wrong and why it is still causing problems. They said he might have to have a pig valve put in to replace his valve?!
Answer:
By "arteries backwards", do you mean the specific birth defect "transposition of the great vessels"? If not, ignore me.In a normal heart, the pulmonary artery carries de-oxygenated blood from the right ventricle to the lungs to pick up oxygen, and the aorta carries freshly oxygenated blood from the left ventricle to the rest of the body. If these vessels are transposed, oxygenated blood is sent back to the lungs from the LEFT venticle, and blood without oxygen is sent to the rest of the body from the RIGHT ventricle. Unless there is an additional defect, such as a hole in the ventricular septum which allows at least a little oxygenated blood to the right venticle and then the misplaced aorta, death follows quickly.The surgery, when he was first born, was an emergency temporary surgery, to create (or enlarge) a hole in the ventricular septum. The blueness is called cyanosis, and it means the body is not getting as much oxygen as it should, even after the surgery the oxygen level is only just barely adequate, and growth and development WILL suffer.When the son is a few years old, he will be strong enough to undergo the second, permanent surgery, in which the pulmonary artery and the aorta will be swapped so that they are where they are supposed to be, and the hole in the ventricular septum will be closed. If all goes well, he will be normal thereafter.Good luck to him.

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Backwards would mean the arterial valves that keep blood going in just one direction are in reverse position, essentially blocking flow instead of aiding it. I would think they would be that way in the entire body.This would make sense for the discoloration, as in high blood pressure conditions, the valves action would be more effective in blocking flow in the right direction.Just ask for a better description of what is wrong. When a doctor, or anyone else, tells you something you don't understand, follow by asking them to explain it in simple English. If they say you won't understand, tell them they are either evasive, have poor communication skills, or they don't want you to understand. Ask if they want to get paid. When they say yes, then tell them to explain it again, only better this time.Expect a clear explanation. If you don't get one find out where to file a complaint.

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See above answer for an explanation of transposition of the great vessels. As for the pig valves, I am assuming that the valves he was born with are not functioning properly. It is not uncommon for children born with heart defects to have more than one defect. If he does end up requiring valve replacement following surgery he will need to be on medication to thin his blood (Coumadin). That will mean any injury will take longer to stop bleeding and heal. It might be a good idea for your friend to encourage activities that are less likely to cause injuries (swimming over football, etc.), but other than that after surgery he should be able to have a pretty normal life.

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The above answers explained this condition well. I just wanted to add that even after the arterial switch operation to correct the transposition, it is likely that her son's heart still doesn't function 100%. Although the defect is corrected it is not repaired - he cannot be considered to have a "normal" heart. It's not uncommon for kids to still have difficulties like tiring easily, turning blue during exercise, and having trouble in excessive heat. However, for the most part, kids with corrected transposition can participate in activities normal kids can, they just need to know their limits and may need to stop and take a break sooner/more often than other kids.But if I was your friend I would still be concerned about these symptoms and want to know that everything was okay. I'm sorry the doctors are making her feel like she is paranoid, they shouldn't be doing that. Once you go through the experience of having a child born with a heart defect everything puts you on high alert and you never stop worrying completely. The best thing you can do is encourage her to push the doctors to do more tests if she really feels that something is wrong, or if she's not understanding why these symptoms are occurring. Remind her that SHE knows her child best and to follow her mother's intuition if she feels something is really wrong. If her child's doctors aren't listening to her, perhaps she should get a second opinion. Good luck to your friend, I think it's so nice of you to care enough to seek out information so you can understand her situation better.

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