Cardiac Other Problem

Some of the diseases that occur in heart and cannot be grouped into particular headings. These include:

• A congenital defect called Marfan syndrome can lead to lesions in the aortic valve, aortic root and aorta. Also many patients require the replacement of all these structures together. Bentall procedure is done to replace these structures.
• Older people can develop aneurysm in the aorta. An aneurysm is a bulge and requires surgical intervention.
• When heart totally fails to work because of some pathology, a heart transplant, also called cardiac transplant, is required.
• Cardiac catheterization is done in a number of diseases. It basically involves surgical insertion of a narrow tube inside the heart through the artery.
• Hypoplastic left heart syndrome is a congenital defect where the left part of the heart doesn’t grow normally and remains weaker after birth. If surgical intervention is not done, such babies die. Glenn procedure is an open heart surgery that aims to redirect the flow of blood coming from the upper body directly to the lungs. This procedure has been largely replaced with bidirectional Glenn procedure. It is also performed on patients with tricuspid atresia.
• Interrupted aortic arch is a serious defect present at birth and needs surgical intervention. The aim is to remove the blockage. The two ends of the aorta are sewn together and the patent ductus arteriosus is tied off.