What is Pulmonary atresia?
Pulmonary atresia (uh-TREE-zhuh) is a heart defect present at birth (congenital) that's usually diagnosed soon after birth. In pulmonary atresia, the valve that lets blood out of the heart to go to the lungs (pulmonary valve) doesn't form correctly.
Instead of opening and closing to allow blood to travel from the heart to the lungs, a solid sheet of tissue forms. So, blood can't travel its usual route to pick up oxygen from the lungs. Instead, some blood travels to the lungs through other natural passages within the heart and its arteries.
These passages are necessary when a baby is developing in the womb, and they typically close soon after birth. Babies with pulmonary atresia typically have a bluish cast to their skin because they aren't getting enough oxygen.
Pulmonary atresia is a life-threatening situation. Procedures to correct a baby's heart condition and medications to help a baby's heart work more effectively are the first steps to treat pulmonary atresia.
