Transposition of the Great Vessels. In this defect, the position of the heart's two main arteries, the aorta and the pulmonary artery, is reversed. Depending on what other defects occur with it, transposition of the great vessels may be an emergency that requires intervention very soon after birth. A nonsurgical emergency procedure that stabilizes the infant's condition may be performed immediately after birth. This procedure, called balloon atrial septostomy is performed in the pediatric catheterization laboratory by a pediatric cardiologist.
Surgeons then perform the complete repair, usually before the infant is two weeks old.
The arterial switch procedure is the most effective treatment for this problem. An anatomically normal heart is re-established by relocating the great vessels to their proper positions. Any associated defects are also repaired at the same time. Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. A child born with this defect has an underdeveloped left side of the heart and must have expert management very soon after birth and usually surgery within the first week of life.