CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE: TETRALOGY OF FALLOT (Atena Editora)

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is the most common cyanotic congenital heart defect, occurring in approximately 1 in 3,500 births and accounting for 7% to 10% of all congenital heart malformations. Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF) occurs in approximately 1 in 3600 live births and accounts for 3.5% of babies born with congenital heart disease. The objective of this work is to carry out an epidemiological survey on Tetralogy of Fallot and its respective treatment. METHODS: This is a literature review, of the narrative type, which aims to describe the characteristics of Tetralogy of Fallot, from a theoretical point of view, through materials that have already been published on the subject in question, through analysis and interpretation of the literature. Inclusion criteria were: articles in Portuguese and English; published in the period from 2015 to 2023 and that addressed the themes proposed for this research, review-type studies available in full. After the selection criteria, 6 articles remained, which were subjected to thorough reading for data collection. The results were presented in a descriptive way, divided into thematic categories addressing: describing the subtitles or points that were mentioned in the discussion. RESULT AND DISCUSSION: Tetralogy of Fallot is the most common cyanotic heart disease in children who survive without treatment beyond neonatal age, requiring intervention in the first year of life. It accounts for 7% to 10% of birth defects, affecting men and women equally and occurring in 3 to 5 out of every 10,000 live births. The clinical presentation varies according to the severity of the obstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract, presenting more commonly in neonates with a certain degree of cyanosis. In some patients, cyanosis manifests itself months later in life when the rate of obstructions worsens. On auscultation, patients have a normal first heart sound with a single loud second heart sound. Currently, early survival after a complete primary repair in large centers is reported to be between 98% and 100%. Despite this, complete primary repair in neonates and infants, in general, is still controversial. Since the 1970s, surgeons have recommended complete repair by 6 months of age and at the latest by 12 months for asymptomatic and non-ductal-dependent infants. CONCLUSION: The diagnosis and management of Tetralogy of Fallot are performed by an interprofessional team that includes a pediatrician, pediatric cardiologist, cardiac surgeon and radiologist. In general, all children with Tetralogy of Fallot require surgery; time may vary depending on symptoms.