Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous ReturnNancy McDaniel M.D.In this defect the heart has four chambers and four valves. The defect is that the lung veins (pulmonary veins) that bring the red blood out of the lungs do not connect to the left collecting chamber. The lung veins usually connect to the vein carrying blue blood back to the heart. This defect can make the baby very sick at birth or it may be discovered later when the child does not grow well and has trouble breathing. This heart defect also usually has a small hole between the upper chambers of the heart (atrial septal defect). This allows blood to get out of the left or main pumping chamber. This defect can be fixed with an operation which connects the lung veins to the left collecting chamber and closes the atrial septal defect.
 Normal Heart  |