BACK TOTOP Browse A-ZSearchBrowse A-ZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0-9 E-mail FormEmail ResultsName:Email address:Recipients Name:Recipients address:Message: Print-FriendlyBookmarksbookmarks-menuAortopulmonary windowAortopulmonary septal defect; Aortopulmonary fenestration; Congenital heart defect - aortopulmonary window; Birth defect heart - aortopulmonary windowAortopulmonary window is a rare heart defect in which there is a hole connecting the major artery taking blood from the heart to the body (the aorta) and the one taking blood from the heart to the lungs (pulmonary artery). The condition is congenital, which means it is present at birth. Causes Normally, blood flows through the pulmonary artery into the lungs, where it picks up oxygen. Then the blood travels back to the heart and is pumped to the aorta and the rest of the body.Previous imagePlay SlideshowStop SlideshowNext image / Babies with an aortopulmonary window have a hole in between the aorta and pulmonary artery. Because of this hole, blood from the aorta flows into the pulmonary artery, and as a result too much blood flows to the lungs. This causes high blood pressure in the lungs (a condition called pulmonary hypertension) and congestive heart failure. The bigger the defect, the more blood that is able to enter the pulmonary artery.The condition occurs when the aorta and pulmonary artery do not divide normally as the baby develops in the womb.Aortopulmonary window is very rare. It accounts for less than 1% of all congenital heart defects.This condition can occur on its own or with other heart defects such as:Tetralogy of Fallot Tetralogy of FallotTetralogy of Fallot is a type of congenital heart defect. Congenital means that it is present at birth.ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Pulmonary atresia Pulmonary atresiaPulmonary atresia is a form of heart disease in which the pulmonary valve does not form properly. It is present from birth (congenital heart disease...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Truncus arteriosus Truncus arteriosusTruncus arteriosus is a rare type of heart disease in which a single blood vessel (truncus arteriosus) comes out of the right and left ventricles, in...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Atrial septal defect Atrial septal defectAtrial septal defect (ASD) is a heart defect that is present at birth (congenital). As a baby develops in the womb, a wall (septum) forms that divide...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Patent ductus arteriosus Patent ductus arteriosusPatent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a condition in which the ductus arteriosus does not close. The word "patent" means open. The ductus arteriosus is ...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Interrupted aortic arch Fifty percent of people usually have no other heart defects. Symptoms If the defect is small, it may not cause any symptoms. However, most defects are large.Symptoms can include:Delayed growth Heart failure Irritability Poor eating and lack of weight gain Rapid breathing Rapid heartbeat Respiratory infections Exams and Tests The health care provider will usually hear an abnormal heart sound (murmur) when listening to the child's heart with a stethoscope.The provider may order tests such as:Cardiac catheterization -- a thin tube inserted into blood vessels and/or arteries around the heart to view the heart and blood vessels and directly measure pressure in the heart and lungs. Chest x-ray. Chest x-rayA chest x-ray is an x-ray of the chest, lungs, heart, large arteries, ribs, and diaphragm.ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Echocardiogram. EchocardiogramAn echocardiogram is a test that uses sound waves to create pictures of the heart. It is used with children to help diagnose defects of the heart th...Read Article Now Book Mark Article MRI of the heart. MRI of the heartHeart magnetic resonance imaging is an imaging method that uses powerful magnets and radio waves to create pictures of the heart. It does not use ra...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Treatment The condition usually requires open heart surgery to repair the defect. Surgery should be done as soon as possible after the diagnosis is made. In most cases, this is when the child is still a newborn.During the procedure, a heart-lung machine takes over for the child's heart. The surgeon opens the aorta and closes the defect with a patch made either from a piece of the sac that encloses the heart (the pericardium) or a man-made material. Outlook (Prognosis) Surgery to correct aortopulmonary window is successful in most cases. If the defect is treated quickly, the child should not have any lasting effects. Possible Complications Delaying treatment can lead to complications such as:Congestive heart failure Congestive heart failureHeart failure is a condition in which the heart is no longer able to pump oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body efficiently. This causes symptom...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Pulmonary hypertension or Eisenmenger syndrome Eisenmenger syndromeEisenmenger syndrome is a condition that affects blood flow from the heart to the lungs in some people who were born with structural problems of the ...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Death When to Contact a Medical Professional Contact your provider if your child has symptoms of aortopulmonary window. The sooner this condition is diagnosed and treated, the better the child's prognosis. Prevention There is no known way to prevent aortopulmonary window.Open ReferencesReferencesBernstein D. General principles of treatment of congenital heart disease. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, Shah SS, Tasker RC, Wilson KM, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 21st ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 461.Qureshi AM, Gowda ST, Justino H, Spicer DE, Anderson RH. Other malformations of the ventricular outflow tracts. In: Wernovsky G, Anderson RH, Kumar K, et al, eds. Anderson's Pediatric Cardiology. 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 51.Valente AM, Dorfman AL, Babu-Narayan SV, Krieger EV. Congenital heart disease in the adolescent and adult. In: Libby P, Bonow RO, Mann DL, Tomaselli GF, Bhatt DL, Solomon SD, eds. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 12th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 82.Well A, Fraser CD .Congenital heart disease. In: Townsend CM Jr, Beauchamp RD, Evers BM, Mattox KL, eds. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 21st ed. St Louis, MO: Elsevier; 2022:chap 59.AllVideoImagesTogCongenital heart defects (CHD) overviewAnimation Related video goes here for no-HTML5 browsersCongenital heart defects (CHD) overview - Animation Congenital heart disease describes defects of the heart or its vessels that are present at birth. They are the most common types of birth defect, affecting 1 out of every 120 babies. Some heart defects are severe, but many are not, ranging from simple defects with no symptoms, to complex defects with severe life-threatening symptoms. Each year, more than 35,000 babies in the United States are born with congenital heart defects. Most are simple defects that are easily corrected or do not need treatment. However, a small number of babies are born with complex heart defects and require special medical attention soon after birth. Over the past few decades, the diagnosis and treatment of these complex defects has greatly improved. Thanks to new and effective treatments, almost all children with complex heart defects grow to adulthood and can live active, productive lives. Most of these patients will nonetheless continue to need special heart care throughout their lives. Living with a congenital heart disease can also impact health insurance, employment, pregnancy, contraception, and the risk of infection during routine health procedures. Today, approximately 1 million American adults are living with congenital heart defects.Aortopulmonary window - illustration Aortopulmonary window is a rare heart defect in which there is a hole in between the aorta and pulmonary artery. Because of this hole, blood from the aorta rushes into the pulmonary artery and too much blood flows through the lungs. This condition happens during the development of the baby's heart and is present at birth.Aortopulmonary windowillustrationCongenital heart defects (CHD) overviewAnimation Related video goes here for no-HTML5 browsersCongenital heart defects (CHD) overview - Animation Congenital heart disease describes defects of the heart or its vessels that are present at birth. They are the most common types of birth defect, affecting 1 out of every 120 babies. Some heart defects are severe, but many are not, ranging from simple defects with no symptoms, to complex defects with severe life-threatening symptoms. Each year, more than 35,000 babies in the United States are born with congenital heart defects. Most are simple defects that are easily corrected or do not need treatment. However, a small number of babies are born with complex heart defects and require special medical attention soon after birth. Over the past few decades, the diagnosis and treatment of these complex defects has greatly improved. Thanks to new and effective treatments, almost all children with complex heart defects grow to adulthood and can live active, productive lives. Most of these patients will nonetheless continue to need special heart care throughout their lives. Living with a congenital heart disease can also impact health insurance, employment, pregnancy, contraception, and the risk of infection during routine health procedures. Today, approximately 1 million American adults are living with congenital heart defects.Aortopulmonary window - illustration Aortopulmonary window is a rare heart defect in which there is a hole in between the aorta and pulmonary artery. Because of this hole, blood from the aorta rushes into the pulmonary artery and too much blood flows through the lungs. This condition happens during the development of the baby's heart and is present at birth.Aortopulmonary windowillustrationRelated Information Review Date: 2/27/2024 Reviewed By: Thomas S. Metkus, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team. The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, timeliness, or correctness of any translations made by a third-party service of the information provided herein into any other language. © 1997- A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. © 1997- All rights reserved. A.D.A.M. content is best viewed in IE9 or above, Firefox and Google Chrome browser.Content is best viewed in IE9 or above, Firefox and Google Chrome browser.
Aortopulmonary windowAortopulmonary septal defect; Aortopulmonary fenestration; Congenital heart defect - aortopulmonary window; Birth defect heart - aortopulmonary windowAortopulmonary window is a rare heart defect in which there is a hole connecting the major artery taking blood from the heart to the body (the aorta) and the one taking blood from the heart to the lungs (pulmonary artery). The condition is congenital, which means it is present at birth. Causes Normally, blood flows through the pulmonary artery into the lungs, where it picks up oxygen. Then the blood travels back to the heart and is pumped to the aorta and the rest of the body.Previous imagePlay SlideshowStop SlideshowNext image / Babies with an aortopulmonary window have a hole in between the aorta and pulmonary artery. Because of this hole, blood from the aorta flows into the pulmonary artery, and as a result too much blood flows to the lungs. This causes high blood pressure in the lungs (a condition called pulmonary hypertension) and congestive heart failure. The bigger the defect, the more blood that is able to enter the pulmonary artery.The condition occurs when the aorta and pulmonary artery do not divide normally as the baby develops in the womb.Aortopulmonary window is very rare. It accounts for less than 1% of all congenital heart defects.This condition can occur on its own or with other heart defects such as:Tetralogy of Fallot Tetralogy of FallotTetralogy of Fallot is a type of congenital heart defect. Congenital means that it is present at birth.ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Pulmonary atresia Pulmonary atresiaPulmonary atresia is a form of heart disease in which the pulmonary valve does not form properly. It is present from birth (congenital heart disease...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Truncus arteriosus Truncus arteriosusTruncus arteriosus is a rare type of heart disease in which a single blood vessel (truncus arteriosus) comes out of the right and left ventricles, in...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Atrial septal defect Atrial septal defectAtrial septal defect (ASD) is a heart defect that is present at birth (congenital). As a baby develops in the womb, a wall (septum) forms that divide...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Patent ductus arteriosus Patent ductus arteriosusPatent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a condition in which the ductus arteriosus does not close. The word "patent" means open. The ductus arteriosus is ...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Interrupted aortic arch Fifty percent of people usually have no other heart defects. Symptoms If the defect is small, it may not cause any symptoms. However, most defects are large.Symptoms can include:Delayed growth Heart failure Irritability Poor eating and lack of weight gain Rapid breathing Rapid heartbeat Respiratory infections Exams and Tests The health care provider will usually hear an abnormal heart sound (murmur) when listening to the child's heart with a stethoscope.The provider may order tests such as:Cardiac catheterization -- a thin tube inserted into blood vessels and/or arteries around the heart to view the heart and blood vessels and directly measure pressure in the heart and lungs. Chest x-ray. Chest x-rayA chest x-ray is an x-ray of the chest, lungs, heart, large arteries, ribs, and diaphragm.ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Echocardiogram. EchocardiogramAn echocardiogram is a test that uses sound waves to create pictures of the heart. It is used with children to help diagnose defects of the heart th...Read Article Now Book Mark Article MRI of the heart. MRI of the heartHeart magnetic resonance imaging is an imaging method that uses powerful magnets and radio waves to create pictures of the heart. It does not use ra...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Treatment The condition usually requires open heart surgery to repair the defect. Surgery should be done as soon as possible after the diagnosis is made. In most cases, this is when the child is still a newborn.During the procedure, a heart-lung machine takes over for the child's heart. The surgeon opens the aorta and closes the defect with a patch made either from a piece of the sac that encloses the heart (the pericardium) or a man-made material. Outlook (Prognosis) Surgery to correct aortopulmonary window is successful in most cases. If the defect is treated quickly, the child should not have any lasting effects. Possible Complications Delaying treatment can lead to complications such as:Congestive heart failure Congestive heart failureHeart failure is a condition in which the heart is no longer able to pump oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body efficiently. This causes symptom...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Pulmonary hypertension or Eisenmenger syndrome Eisenmenger syndromeEisenmenger syndrome is a condition that affects blood flow from the heart to the lungs in some people who were born with structural problems of the ...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Death When to Contact a Medical Professional Contact your provider if your child has symptoms of aortopulmonary window. The sooner this condition is diagnosed and treated, the better the child's prognosis. Prevention There is no known way to prevent aortopulmonary window.Open ReferencesReferencesBernstein D. General principles of treatment of congenital heart disease. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, Shah SS, Tasker RC, Wilson KM, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 21st ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 461.Qureshi AM, Gowda ST, Justino H, Spicer DE, Anderson RH. Other malformations of the ventricular outflow tracts. In: Wernovsky G, Anderson RH, Kumar K, et al, eds. Anderson's Pediatric Cardiology. 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 51.Valente AM, Dorfman AL, Babu-Narayan SV, Krieger EV. Congenital heart disease in the adolescent and adult. In: Libby P, Bonow RO, Mann DL, Tomaselli GF, Bhatt DL, Solomon SD, eds. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 12th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 82.Well A, Fraser CD .Congenital heart disease. In: Townsend CM Jr, Beauchamp RD, Evers BM, Mattox KL, eds. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 21st ed. St Louis, MO: Elsevier; 2022:chap 59.