The Blues of Congenital Heart Disease

Since the first “blue baby operation,” dramatic diagnostic and therapeutic advances have improved survival for most infants born with cyanotic heart defects. In the current decade, most infants with cyanotic congenital heart disease will undergo vital palliative or corrective surgery in the first months of life. In this article, the anatomy and clinical features of selected cyanotic heart defects, including tetralogy of Fallot, transposition of the great arteries, truncus arteriosus, tricuspid atresia, and pulmonary atresia, will be reviewed, with discussion of current treatment strategies and nursing implications.