Your child has a heart problem called hypoplastic right ventricle. This means that the right ventricle is either too small or missing. The most common heart ...PatientEducationWhenYourChildHasaHypoplasticRightVentricle:TricuspidAtresiaYourchildhasaheartproblemcalledhypoplasticrightventricle.Thismeansthattherightventricleiseithertoosmallormissing.Themostcommonheartproblemthatincludesahypoplasticrightventricleiscalledtricuspidatresia.Thissheetexplainstricuspidatresia.Itcanalsobeusedtolearnaboutsimilarheartproblems.Yourchild’shealthcareproviderwillexplainasneeded.ThenormalheartTheheartisdividedinto 4chambers.Thetwoupperchambersarecalledatria.The 2lowerchambersarecalledventricles.Thehearthas 4valves.Thevalvesopenandclose.Theykeepbloodflowingforwardthroughtheheart.Inanormalheart,oxygen-poorbloodreturnsfromthebodyandfillstherightatrium.Thisbloodflowsacrossthetricuspidvalveintotherightventricle.Therightventriclepumpsthisbloodacrossthepulmonaryvalvethroughthepulmonaryarterytothelungs.There,thebloodreceivesoxygen.Oxygen-richbloodreturnsfromthelungsandfillstheleftatrium.Thisbloodthenflowsacrossthemitralvalveintotheleftventricle.Theleftventriclepumpsthisbloodacrosstheaorticvalvetotheaorta.Fromthere,it travelsouttothebody.Theductusarteriosus isanormalpartofababy’sheartbeforebirth.It’sabloodvesselthatconnectsthepulmonaryarteryandtheaorta.Itletsbloodflowbetweenthe 2vessels.Itnormallyclosesshortlyafterbirth.Ifitremainsopen,it’scalledapatentductusarteriosus(PDA).Theforamenovale isalsoanormalpartofababy’sheartbeforebirth.It’sanopeninginthewall(atrialseptum)betweentheatria.Itnormallyclosesafewweeksafterbirth.Ifitremainsopen,it’scalledapatentforamenovale(PFO).Whatistricuspidatresia?Withtricuspidatresia,thetricuspidvalveismissing orcompletelyblockedoff.Normally,thisvalveallows oxygen-poorbloodtoflowfromtherightatriumtotherightventricle.Withnovalve,bloodcan'treachtherightventricle.Asaresult,therightventricleissmall.Alsothereisusuallynarrowing(stenosis)ofthepulmonaryvalveandpulmonaryarte