Normally, oxygenated blood flows from the lungs to the left atrium through the pulmonary veins. In a case of Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return (TAPVR), the pulmonary veins drain into the right atrium rather than the left atrium. When this happens, the oxygenated blood returning from the lungs mixes with the deoxygenated blood in the right atrium. Some form of communication between the right and left sides of the heart, usually an ASD, must be present in order for oxygenated blood to reach the body. Surgical repair is required within the first few months of life. The goal of corrective surgery is to surgically create a connection between the pulmonary veins and the left atrium.
View an animated heart withTotal Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return - Supracardiac
View an animated heart withTotal Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return - Infracardiac