Irene DeLaCruz

ISM- Period 7

What Is Tetralogy of Fallot? National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services, 1 July 2011, www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/tof.

TOF is a problem with the hearts structure

Normal blood flow of the heart is changed
4 heart defects make up TOF
1.) large ventricular septal defect (VSD)
2.) Pulmonary stenosis
3.) Right ventricular hypertrophy
4.) Overriding Aorta
The septum separates the left and right chambers to prevent the mixing of the blood on
both sides of the heart
VSD- hole in lower part of the septum which causes the oxygenized blood to mix with
blood that isnt oxygenized
Pulmonary Stenosis- pulmonary valve becomes very narrow and doesnt fully open to let
blood flow through (not enough blood can reach the lungs)
Right Ventricular Hypertrophy- heart has to work harder to pump blood through
pulmonary valve because the muscle inside of the right ventricle is thicker than usual
Overriding Aorta- located between left and right ventricle and directly over VSD instead
of being attached to the left ventricle. This causes blood low in oxygen in the right
ventricle to flow directly to the aorta instead of going to the pulmonary artery
Overall TOF is when not enough blood reaches the lungs to become oxygenized causing
poor oxygenized blood to go throughout the body
Not enough oxygenized blood is what causes people to have the bluish tint to the skin
which most people with TOF have (Cyanosis)
TOF can be repaired with open heart surgery which should soon take place right after
birth, or at the latest, infancy
When the surgery is done depends on the pulmonary artery and how thin it is
Diagnosing TOF and the treatments for it have greatly improved over the past few
decades
Those diagnosed with TOF usually survive until adulthood but will need lifelong medical
assistance by specialists to stay healthy for as long as possible

This source gave very good information about Tetralogy of Fallot by going in depth
about what the disease is, how it affects the heart, and how it is different from a normal
heart.