Double Aortic ArchNancy McDaniel M.D.The heart in this defect has four chambers and four valves. The big blood vessel that moves blood to the body (aorta) is normally one tube with small branches that take blood to the arms, head and neck before going to the lower body. In this defect, the main aorta tube splits into large left and right branches before becoming one tube to go to the lower body. This branching pattern can cause the swallowing tube (esophagus) or breathing tube (trachea) to be pinched (compressed). A child may have difficulty swallowing solid foods or sometimes have difficulty breathing. Many times a child is several years old before this is discovered. This is a rare heart defect and can be fixed by surgery.
 Normal Heart  |