Intracardiac Shunts

Intracardiac shunts are abnormal pathways for blood flow in the heart that form in addition to or in place of normal pathways. They are congenital heart defects resulting from abnormal embryologic development. The resultant blood flow is pathological and often causes significant changes in normal physiology. Intracardiac shunts are a spectrum of disorders that could range in presentation from being asymptomatic to fatal. The 2 big categories of intracardiac shunts are cyanotic and cyanotic. Cyanotic shunts impair blood oxygenation by the pulmonary system and result in cyanosis. Acyanotic shunts do not impair lung blood flow, and the oxygenation process is intact. Following are different types of cyanotic and cyanotic shunts. Atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect, patent ductal arteriosus. Tetralogy of Fallot, truncus arteriosus, total anomalous pulmonary venous return (TAPVR), pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect, tricuspid atresia, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, transposition of great arteries, double-outlet right ventricle . The prevalence of different types of these shunts is shown in the pie chart (see Birth Prevalence of CHDs).