A vascular shunt occurs when your heart doesn’t send enough blood to the lungs. When this happens, you may have symptoms like trouble breathing or lower oxygen saturation in your blood.
In normal heart function, oxygen-poor blood enters the right side of your heart. It then flows to your lungs, where it fills with oxygen and removes carbon dioxide. The oxygenated blood then travels to the left side of your heart and into your aorta, which carries it to the rest of your body.
If a shunt exists, oxygen-poor blood can leak back into the lungs, or it may not reach your lungs at all. This can lead to serious health problems and even death if not treated early.
Symptoms can occur at any age and can affect both men and women. They may appear suddenly or develop gradually over time. They can cause shortness of breath, dizziness and chest pain. You might also experience nausea and vomiting, or a bluish tinge to your skin.
When you’re diagnosed with a shunt, your doctor will want to make sure there’s no other medical condition that could be causing the problem. They may order an imaging test, such as a CT scan, to check your heart and lungs.
Your doctor might also want to do a blood test to make sure your liver is functioning properly and that there’s no cirrhosis, which can cause inflammation. This is because some shunts are caused by hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Hepatic shunts can cause a lot of discomfort and can even lead to life-threatening complications. They can also be difficult to treat because they can cause your liver to swell up and block the flow of blood into your body.
You can tell you have a shunt when your doctor performs an imaging test, such as a CT or MRI. They will look for evidence of a shunt in your heart or liver. They may also find signs of other congenital heart defects, such as holes or irregular arteries.
If you have a shunt, your doctor will recommend treatment. This can include surgery to redirect blood so oxygen-poor blood goes directly to your lungs. It might also involve a procedure called the Fontan procedure, which helps prevent oxygen-poor blood from mixing with oxygenated blood in your heart’s ventricles.
The Fontan procedure can reduce the chances of your shunt causing health problems. It also can save your life.
Other treatments can also be effective. Your doctor might recommend a medication to treat your shunt or a dietary change to help improve blood flow.
You might also have surgery to fix your shunt if it doesn’t improve. This surgery can be performed as an outpatient or in a hospital. Your doctor may also give you antibiotics or a special diet to help reduce the risk of infections.
In a small number of patients, shunts close on their own. This is known as hemodynamically assisted shunt closure or HAPS. It’s usually done when a shunt has been present for at least 12 months and no complications have developed.
