You are in Medical Library . Definition A type of congenital heart disease involving obstruction of blood flow from the right atrium to the right ventricle. The right atrium and ventricle supply the lungs with blood to be oxygenated. The right side of the heart provides the pulmonary blood flow.
Tricuspid atresia is one of the least common of the different forms of congenital heart disease .
In this defect the flow of blood from the right atrium to the right ventricle is blocked by an absent or abnormally developed tricuspid valve. This supplies the lungs with some, but less than optimal, blood flow. It also puts a strain on the left ventricle which must now pump both the systemic blood supply and the pulmonary blood supply. Various surgical approaches have been developed and vary depending on the age of the individual at the time the surgery is done. This condition is often discovered on routine examination of the baby following birth.