Born with Down syndrome and a heart condition: Tallulah’s story of perseverance
Tallulah was born with Down syndrome and because of that, also had a heart defect.
Defects
What is a congenital heart defect?
You may have heard of children being born with holes in their hearts or kids born with “half a heart,” but did you know? These are all different types of congenital heart defects.
Tetralogy of fallot
In the normal heart, there are two atria and two ventricles. Blood comes back from the body from the superior vena cava (SVC) and inferior vena cava (IVC) to the right atrium through the tricuspid valve to the right ventricle. The ventricle contracts and blood is pumped through the pulmonary valve to the pulmonary arteries out to the lungs where the blood is oxygenated. Blood returns from the lungs by the pulmonary veins to the left atrium. It then travels from the left atrium through the mitral valve to the left ventricle. The left ventricle contracts, sending blood through the aortic valve through the aorta and out to the body.
Midwest Adult Congenital Cardiac Center
Ninety percent of children born with heart defects are now expected to live to adulthood and beyond, thanks to surgical and medical breakthroughs. The Midwest Adult Congenital Cardiac Center (MACC) Program was created to treat these adult and adolescent survivors.
Conditions and Services
The cardiovascular program at Children’s Minnesota offers a full range of services.