Q: Which doctor treats Fallot’s tetralogy?
A: Fallot’s tetralogy is usually diagnosed by a child specialist (pediatrician) and surgery is performed by a cardiothoracic surgeon
Q: Can Fallot’s tetralogy be inherited?
A: Most cases are not inherited and future offspring will not have the condition. In some cases (about 15 percent) there is a genetic mutation and the condition tends to run in families
Q: Is Fallot’s tetralogy a lethal condition?
A: Severe narrowing of the pulmonary valve with hardly any blood reaching the lungs can be life threatening, unless treated by urgent surgery. Most cases are diagnosed early and can be effectively treated
Q: Will my child be normal after surgery?
A: Most children who have had surgical repair can lead healthy lives. Activity levels, growth and appetite will become normal in most children soon after surgery. The child may need prophylactic antibiotics to prevent bacterial endocarditis after discharge. The condition requires lifelong monitoring under a cardiologist to ensure optimal outcome.
Q: Will there be a visible scar after surgery?
A: After open heart surgery, the child will have a scar along the middle of the chest, as well as small scars where drain tubes were inserted. These fade quickly in most children, but will not disappear altogether
Q: Can women with the condition become pregnant?
A: Women who have Fallot’s tetralogy and wish to have children must undergo preconception evaluation by echocardiogram and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). They need to talk to their cardiologists to decide about various options.
