Ebsteins Anomaly

Ebstein's anomaly is a congenital heart defect in which the septal and posterior leaflets of the tricuspid valve are displaced towards the apex of the right ventricle of the heart.

Symptoms: Skin, lips or nails that look blue, Fast breathing or trouble breathing, Fast, unregulated heartbeat pattern, Getting tired easily, Poor weight gain, Coughing, Swelling in the legs.

Diagnosis: Diagnosis may include chest x-ray, echocardiogram, electrocardiogram or magnetic resonance imaging. Antibiotic prophylaxis for infective endocarditis, Medical therapy for heart failure - Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, diuretics, and digoxin, Arrhythmia treatment - Medical treatments such as anti-arrhythmic drugs or radiofrequency ablation of the accessory pathways.

Epidemology: There were two hospital deaths (9%) and the late mortality was 4.5%. The mean followup period was 9 years (range, 1.5 to 13 years) for 19 patients. Significant improvement of VTI(PA) was observed. Analysis of the postoperative deaths demonstrated that all patients were in NYHA class III or IV and had a cardiothoracic ratio of 0.65 or more. A severe reduction in functional capacity seems to be an additional risk factor for mortality beside a cardiothoracic ratio greater than 0.65.