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Patient Education

Our Health Library information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Please be advised that this information is made available to assist our patients to learn about general health issues that may not be related to Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders. Our providers may not see and/or treat all topics found herein

Truncus arteriosus

Truncus arteriosus is a type of congenital heart disease in which a baby is born with one large blood vessel—normally there are two—that receives blood from both the heart's ventricles. This single blood vessel mixes oxygen-rich blood with oxygen-poor blood. Oxygen-rich blood and oxygen-poor blood normally remain in two separate blood vessels in the heart.

Treatment is a surgery that divides the single large blood vessel into two separate blood vessels so that blood can circulate properly.