What is C-CTGA?

The heart is pretty complex! It is hard to explain Cannon's heart in basic terminology, it can be pretty confusing. Here are a couple of pictures that might help make it more clear!





















Here's a detailed 'C-CTGA' heart:



















Congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (CCTGA) is a pretty rare heart defect in which the heart’s lower half is reversed. Of all babies born with a heart condition, approx. 0.5% - 1% have CCTGA. It is also called L-TGA. It is different from and much less common than “regular” transposition of the great arteries (TGA or D-TGA).

To understand CCTGA, it helps to first understand how a normal heart works. We're going back to Grade 9 Bio here! A normal heart is divided into two sides. The right side pumps blood from the body into the lungs. The left side pumps the blood from the lungs out to the body. Each side has an atrium and a ventricle.The atrium acts like a “waiting room” for the blood. The ventricle does the hard work of pushing the blood out to the lungs or body. At the entrance and exit from each ventricle is a valve, which acts like a door. These valves allow the ventricle to fill with blood from one side, and then push it out the other. Each ventricle and valve is designed to do its specific job. The right ventricle is designed to give the blood a gentle push to send it to the lungs. It is bigger than the left ventricle and does not have as much muscle. The left ventricle is designed to give the blood a strong push out to the body. It has less space inside because its thick walls take up more space. The valve between the left atrium and ventricle, the mitral valve, is the body’s strongest valve. It is designed to stay shut against the strong push of the blood out to the body.

In CCTGA, the two ventricles are reversed. The two valves "follow' the ventricles, so they are also reversed. The weaker, larger right ventricle grows on your heart’s left side. It now has to do the job of the stronger ventricle and pump the blood to your body. Your stronger, smaller left ventricle grows on your heart’s right side. It pumps blood to the lungs. Because it's the strong one, it's pumping with more pressure than is required to get to the lungs.

Although the two heart valves and two arteries are transposed or exit from the 'wrong' ventricle, the blood flows to the correct place because the ventricles are also reversed. And that's why it's called corrected....2 wrongs kinda make a right!

Still confusing huh?!

Better Late than Never!

Hello, I am just beginning this blog and have realized that I should have been blogging over four years ago. If there is anytime to start, I guess now is the time.

My name is Tori King, I am the wife of a wonderful man and the mother of two precious boys. My husband and I have been married for 7 years this past March. God blessed our lives with our first son, Cannon, in January 2006. Our lives changed just as everyone had warned us. However, we didn't imagine it would change so much, so quickly. Cannon was born with Congentital-Corrected Transposition of the Great Arteries (C-CTGA), Ventrical Septal Defect (VSD), and Pulmonary Stenosis (PS). The diagnosis of these multiple defects was not determined for some time after his birth. At birth it was no more than a murmur and we were told that it would more than likely resolve on its own in a couple of weeks. As we returned to the pediatrician for his weekly follow up appointment, he wasn't so sure that it was going away as expected. The doctor ordered us to have an infant echocardiogram performed. We quickly scheduled this with Texas Childrens Hospital in The Woodlands after determining all the other hospitals around didn't perform infant ECG's. Now that we are able to look back over the last four years we can see God's hand in it all. He lined everything up and placed us in the care of not only the best children's hospital in Texas but with who I think of as the worlds BEST pediatric cardiologist.She has since moved to Kentucky and we miss her greatly. After her review of his ECG, it was obvious that there was much more going on with Cannon's heart. The multiple defects were hard to diagnose initially. Cannon was diagnosed first with Double Outlet Right Ventricle (DORV) . His case was under review by a team of cardiologists associated with Texas Childrens. It wasn't until Cannon was three months old that we had an MRI performed due to excessive regurgitation and it was then determined that he had C-CTGA, VSD and PS. From this time on Cannon was on 7different heart medications to keep him from heart failure. He was also administered an injection once a month called RSV, to prevent him from any infections that could occur in the hole in his heart. Cannon was a very easy going baby once we got the excessive vomitting under control. Cannon has continued to grow and he has always been on target with weight gain and food intake. We never experienced any signs of cyanosis and still haven't to this day. When Cannon was about 1 year, I decided with the cardiologists blessing, to remove the medications, one by one. Cannon has been free of all medications since about 14 months old. Praise GOD!! We continue to have 6month follow up visits with the cardiologist at Texas Childrens. As we observe Cannon on a daily basis, it is obvious that he isn't like all the other 4 year olds he goes to school with or plays with. It is becoming more obvious that his heart is starting to weaken and he isn't getting as much oxygenated blood as a healthy heart would provide. At our last follow up visit in January 2010, Cannon's pulse ox was at 92. We are watching it occasionally at pediatrician visits and it is beginning to drop around 90, at rest.
We have our next visit with the cardiologist at Texas Childrens on July 7th. At this time we will see where his stats are and see what the professionals have to say. Until then we pray faithfully, that our Lord above will perform a miracle in Cannon's body.

In April 2008, we were blessed again with our second baby boy, Colton. He was born April 23rd, 2008. He was 8lb, 5oz and healthy! We found ourselves trying to figure out what to do with a healthy baby, I guess more like what we don't have to do. They both get along greatly and love each other very much. Where there is one, you will find the other.

Our God is an awesome God and we know He has a plan. What may look messy, like the back of a tapestry, is just a BEAUTIFUL picture being woven on the other side.

I will try my best to keep this post updated as much as possible.
Thanks for visiting.

With Love,
The Kings