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Complications
By Mayo Clinic staffPotential complications of transposition of the great arteries include:
- Lack of oxygen to tissues. Your baby's tissues may be getting too little oxygen (hypoxia).
- Congestive heart failure. Unless there's some mixing of oxygen-rich blood and oxygen-poor blood within the body, congestive heart failure — a condition in which the heart can't pump enough blood to meet the body's needs — may develop.
- Pulmonary vascular obstructive disease. This condition causes damage to the lungs, making breathing difficult.
Without corrective surgery, transposition of the great arteries is fatal in most cases during the first six months of life.
Babies who have surgery to correct transposition of the great arteries sometimes have the following associated conditions later in life:
- Leaky heart valves
- Problems with the arteries that supply the heart muscle with blood (coronary arteries)
- Heart rhythm abnormalities (arrhythmias)
- Decline in function of the heart muscle or heart valves
Preventive antibiotics
People with congenital heart defects are at increased risk of endocarditis, an infection of the inner lining of the heart. If your child is waiting to have corrective surgery, your child's doctor will likely recommend preventive antibiotics before certain dental and other procedures. After corrective surgery, your child's doctor can offer guidance on whether to continue with preventive antibiotics or not.
Pregnancy
It's possible to have a healthy pregnancy if the transposition has been repaired. If you're thinking about becoming pregnant, talk to your cardiologist and obstetrician before conceiving. If you have complications such as arrhythmias or serious heart muscle problems, pregnancy may pose risks to you as the mother.
