Fallow tetralogy is a surgically treatable condition characterized by all or a combination of four or more birth defects. It accounts for 10% of all congenital heart defects that alter the formation of the heart. It also changes the way blood flows through the heart. Fallow tetralogy is usually diagnosed at birth or in early childhood and with surgery, a child can live a relatively normal life. The prefix tetra means four and the term fallot is named after a French doctor who discovered the disease in the 1800s. Aptly named after this discovery, fallow tetralogy arose from the four observed heart defects. A major complication that manifests with fallow tetralogy is the lack of oxygen circulating out of the heart and into the rest of the body. The subsequent problem this causes is poor oxygen transport leading to cyanosis or blue-tinted skin. An infant may have acute cyanosis at birth or cyanosis that gradually worsens during the first year of life. One of the four abnormalities specific to fallow tetralogy is called ventricular septal defect. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; this defect is characterized by a hole in the septum (Schumacher 2011). The ventricles are the main pumping chambers of the heart and the hole usually occurs along the wall separating the two lower chambers or ventricles of the heart. In a normal heart, the septum functions to prevent blood from merging between the left and right sides of the heart. If the defect is significant, it creates pulmonary congestion due to the increased workload of the heart. Small defects are practically asymptomatic and resemble a murmur on auscultation. Many ventricular septal defects close...... middle of paper ......fa small ventricular septal defect, the hole is closed during cardiac catheterization. In conclusion, the prognosis for infants and children with fallow tetralogy is good with surgical treatment. The benefits of complete repair help infants have a near-normally functioning heart. Although most children do well for many years after surgery, a small number of children require subsequent operations. Children with fallow tetralogy are followed by a cardiologist several years after the initial diagnosis. References Hockenberry, M., Wilson, D., Wong, D. (2013). Essential elements of pediatric nursing. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier/Mosby. Matteson, S., Smith, J., (2011). Core curriculum for maternal and neonatal nursing. St. Louis, MO: Saunders/Elsevier Shumacker, (2014). What is fallow tetralogy. Retrieved from http://nhlbi.nih.gov.