A heart transplant can be an effective treatment for certain serious heart conditions but is not a cure. In many situations transplantation can lead to an extension of life with improved quality.
An inherited condition means one that runs in families (genetic), rather than being present from birth (congenital). They are caused by a mutation in the genes responsible for the production of the channels that carry the electrical pulses controlling the contractions of the heart, resulting in a heart rhythm disorder.
Tricuspid valve abnormalities (including Ebstein's anomaly) are congenital heart defects – that is, they were present when a child is born. Around eight in every 1,000 babies born have a congenital heart defect, though Ebstein's anomaly is rarer than that.
Transposition of the great arteries is a condition where that the two main blood vessels leaving the heart, the pulmonary artery (which takes blood to the lungs to pick up oxygen) and the aorta (which takes blood from the heart to the body) are swapped over (switched).
This page from Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) explains tracheal stenosis, how it can be treated and what to expect when a child has treatment. This page mainly concentrates on the ‘long segment’ type of tracheal stenosis and its treatment.
