This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages without signing in

Clinical features

Authoring team

Progressive cyanosis develops during the first few days of life as the ductus arteriosus and foramen ovale begin to close.

At this critical stage the features are:

  • deepening cyanosis, within 24 hours of birth
  • breathlessness
  • progressive metabolic acidosis
  • if there are no associated lesions there is no cardiac failure and therefore have not got hepatomegaly
  • there are no characteristic murmurs

There may be a loud second heart sound because the transposed aorta is positioned anteriorly, next to the chest wall.

If there are additional lesions, the most common of which being a VSD, then cyanosis will appear later. This is because the additional lesion allows mixing between the two vascular circuits. These babies may develop signs of cardiac failure.


Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.