Double Inlet Left Ventricle

Also known as: DILV, double ventricle, common ventricle, single ventricle.

What is double inlet left ventricle?

Normally the right atrium is connected to the right ventricle which pumps oxygen-poor blood from the body tissues, out to the lungs to get oxygen. The left atrium collects the oxygenated blood from the lungs and is connected to the left ventricle which pumps the oxygen-rich blood out to the body. In double inlet left ventricle, (a congenital abnormality- occurs before birth), both atria connect to one ventricle (the left ventricle) and the right ventricle is small. This results in the oxygen poor blood mixing with the oxygen rich blood from the lungs before it's pumped out to the rest of the body.

What causes double inlet left ventricle?

The cause is unknown, however the problem appears to develop very early on in pregnancy.

What are the symptoms of double inlet left ventricle?

Symptoms usually appear in the few weeks after birth and include; cyanosis (bluish skin), poor feeding, fatigue, swollen legs and abdomen, sweating, fast heartbeat, difficulty breathing from fluid buildup around the lungs, have trouble with weight gain.

What are double inlet left ventricle care options?

Surgery is needed in order to correct double inlet left ventricle. Typically, this is a complex heart defect that is present with several others, so several procedures are often needed over the course of many months in order to completely correct the defect.


Reviewed by: Jack Wolfsdorf, MD, FAAP

This page was last updated on: July 24, 2020 03:52 PM