What is Truncus Arteriosus?

Also known as: common truncus

In a normal heart, there are two blood vessels leading away from the heart: One taking oxygen-poor blood to the lungs, and one taking oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body. With truncus arteriosus, the body only has one vessel leading out of the heart, and the oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor blood are mixed together. This can cause serious problems.

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Reviewed by: Jack Wolfsdorf, MD, FAAP

This page was last updated on: 1/29/2019 3:21:13 PM