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TETRALOGY OF FALLOT Tetralogy of Fallot (teh-TRALL-o-gee-of-fal-O) or TOF, is congenital heart condition present at birth. According to the American Heart Association, one out of every one hundred infants are born with some form of heart disease. There are about 3,000 babies born with TOF each year in the United States; accounting for 9 to 14 percent of all congenital heart conditions. A heart with TOF causes the bodies oxygen-rich blood to mix with the oxygen-poor blood, greatly reducing blood flow to the lungs. (see diagram below) Every infant or child with TOF needs surgery, usually within the first year of life. This surgery is one of the most commonly performed operations in the United States In TOF, there is an increased resistance to right ventricular outflow. The oxygen-rich blood is mixed with the oxygen-poor blood, greatly reducing blood flow to the lungs. (see diagram below) |
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 A heart with TOF The cause of TOF is unknown. Multiple factors seem to be involved and there is no known prevention. |
TOF is a serious and complex condition that consists of four major specifics within the heart:
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Open-Heart Surgery Open-heart surgery, in most cases, requires the use of a heart-lung machine used to support the patient’s circulatory system while the surgeon opens the chest and makes changes to the heart or the arteries on the surface of the heart. Patients can generally expect a hospital stay of at least three to four days following the operation, where they will carefully monitored in the cardiac intensive care unit. This surgery is one of the most commonly performed operations in the United States. According to the American Heart Association, approximately 1.3 million open-heart surgeries were performed in 2001 alone. What are the symptoms of TOF? |
 Anquan Boldin #81 , Arizona Cardinals
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 Phoenix Children's Hospital Finally up and walking around when family came to visit. |
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