What congenital heart defect causes cyanosis in children?

The congenital heart defect that causes cyanosis in children is the transposition of the great vessels. This is a very rare disease but a serious one. Transposition of the great vessels is a condition in which the main arteries coming from the heart are transposed. This causes a change in the regular way of blood flow from the heart to other parts of the body.

The implication of this serious condition is that there will be a shortage of oxygen as the blood flows from the heart to other parts of the body. At times, this might cause serious complications in a child with this condition in the sense that without adequate blood supply from the heart to all parts of the body, the body won’t be able to perform some functions, and it might eventually cause the death of the child. One of the common symptoms of this condition is cyanosis i.e., a blue discoloration of the skin.

The correct answer to this question is Transposition of the great vessels. When this occurs, the pulmonary artery attaches to the left ventricle. When it comes to the right ventricle, the aorta attaches to it. The reason why the child is cyanotic is due to the fact that the blood meets the right ventricle's tissue.

This happens before the ventricles have oxygen in the lungs. In the defects, ventricular septal and atrial septal, the blood goes from the left side to the right side of the heart. This occurs through the openings of the patent. As the blood is traveling, it does not create cyanosis.

Trasposition of the great vessels

With transposition of the great vessels, the pulmonary artery is attached to the left ventricle and the aorta is attached to the right ventricle. The child is cyanotic because blood reaches the tissues from the right ventricle before being oxygenated by the lungs. In atrial septal defect and ventricular septal defect, blood is shunted from the left side of the heart to the right side through patent openings. Because the blood travels from left to right, its oxygenated and doesnt produce cyanosis. Coarctation of the aorta is a narrowing of the aorta that decreases the circulation of oxygenated blood to the body. With this condition, the child wont be cyanotic unless cardiac output drops.