What exactly is CAVC and how will they fix it?

What is atrioventricular canal defect?


Atrioventricular canal (AV canal or AVC) defect is a complex congenital (present at birth) defect that results in a large hole in the center of the heart. This defect involves several abnormalities of structures inside the heart:

• An atrial septal defect allows oxygen-rich (red) blood to pass from the left atrium through the opening in the septum, and then mix with oxygen-poor (blue) blood in the right atrium.
• A ventricular septal defect allows oxygen-rich (red) blood to pass from the left ventricle through the opening in the septum, and then mix with oxygen-poor (blue) blood in the right ventricle.
  
• Abnormalities of the mitral or tricuspid valves allow blood that should be moving forward from the ventricle into either the pulmonary artery or the aorta to instead flow backward into the atria.

Normally, oxygen-poor (blue) blood returns to the right atrium from the body, travels to the right ventricle, then is pumped into the lungs where it receives oxygen. Oxygen-rich (red) blood returns to the left atrium from the lungs, passes into the left ventricle, then is pumped out to the body through the aorta.

An atrial septal defect allows oxygen-rich (red) blood to pass from the left atrium through the opening in the septum, and then mix with oxygen-poor (blue) blood in the right atrium.

A ventricular septal defect allows oxygen-rich (red) blood to pass from the left ventricle through the opening in the septum, and then mix with oxygen-poor (blue) blood in the right ventricle.

Abnormalities of the mitral or tricuspid valves allow blood that should be moving forward from the ventricle into either the pulmonary artery or the aorta to instead flow backward into the atria.

Surgical repair - the surgical correction of CAVC is carried out through an incision in the middle of the chest. The breast bone is split in the middle and spread apart to expose the heart. A heart-lung machine is used to do the work of the heart while the heart is cooled, stopped, emptied and opened, usually through the right atrium. The hole in the wall between the right and left ventricles, or VSD is closed by sewing to it a patch of Dacron cloth or a patch of thin leather-like material called pericardium. The affected tricuspid and mitral valves are reconstructed and supported by the rebuilt septum.