What is TGA (Transposition of the Great Arteries)?
Transposition of the Great Arteries or (TGA) is diagnosed when the two main blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart are formed in a position opposite from where they should be. The Aorta and the Pulmonary Artery are transposed. The Pulmonary Artery normally arises from the Right Ventricle pumping the blue or unoxygenated blood to the lungs. The Aorta normally arises from the Left Ventricle and pumps the red blood out to the head, limbs, and body. In Transposition of the Great Arteries the opposite holds true. The Pulmonary Artery arises from the Left Ventricle pumping the red blood to the lungs. The Aorta arises from the Right Ventricle pumping the blue blood to the body, head, and limbs. The heart wall or septum may be intact, or there may be a VSD (Ventricular Septal Defect), a hole between the lower two chambers of the heart, an ASD (Atrial Septal Defect), a hole between the upper two chambers of the heart. There may also be a PDA (Patent Ductus Ateriosus), a blood vessel
