Pediatrics, Parenting
Atrioventricular Canal, AV Canal
HFFY#6865
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Atrioventricular Canal, AV Canal
Normal Heart
The normal heart has four chambers. The
two top chambers receive blood from the
body and lungs. These chambers are called
the atria. The two bottom chambers pump
blood to the body and lungs. These are
called the ventricles. These chambers are
separated by walls known as the atrial
septum and ventricular septum. In between
the atria and ventricles are valves. On the
right side is the tricuspid valve. On the left
side is the mitral valve.
An AV canal is a congenital (present at
birth) heart defect. In this condition there is
no wall between the chambers of the heart.
The middle part of the heart did not form
correctly in the womb.
There are two types of AV canal, complete
and partial. In a complete AV canal, there is
an atrial septal defect (ASD) and ventricular
septal defect (VSD). There is one common
AV valve instead of two valves. In a partial
AV canal only an ASD is present. There are
two valves but often the mitral valve has an
opening, or cleft, in it.
The cause of AV canal is unknown. It is
often seen with Down syndrome.
The lack of a wall between the two sides of
the heart can cause extra blood to flow to the
lungs.
Signs and Symptoms
In an infant, symptoms include
▪ Tiring easily.
▪ Not eating or growing well
▪ Frequent pneumonia.
▪ Rapid breathing.
▪ Sweating.
Older children may have trouble growing or
tire easily.
Your health care provider may hear an
abnormal heart sound when listening with a
stethoscope.
Testing
A member of the health care team will do a
complete exam and a health history.
An ultrasound of the heart, an
echocardiogram, will be done to confirm the
presence of the defect. An ECG,
electrocardiogram, may also be done to look
at the heart’s electrical activity.
Treatment
Surgery is often needed at some point with
both complete and partial AV canal defects.
Sometimes these will be treated with
medicines to help control the effects of an
AV canal before they have surgery. Your
cardiologist will discuss the options for
treatment.
Who Do I Call With Questions?
The doctor or nurse or our clinic staff can
answer any questions. Pediatric Cardiology
(608) 263-6420
Adult Congenital Heart Disease (608) 890-
5700
Your health care team may have given you this information as part of your care. If so, please use it and call if you
have any questions. If this information was not given to you as part of your care, please check with your doctor. This
is not medical advice. This is not to be used for diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. Because each
person’s health needs are different, you should talk with your doctor or others on your health care team when using
this information. If you have an emergency, please call 911. Copyright © 10/2017. University of Wisconsin Hospital
and Clinics Authority. All rights reserved. Produced by the Department of Nursing. HF#6865