Serious Symptoms Of Pulmonary Artery Sling

Pulmonary artery sling is an uncommon congenital anomaly of the pulmonary arteries. In a healthy individual, the oxygen-poor blood from the body flows through the superior and inferior vena cava to the heart. This oxygen-poor blood moves through the right atrium to the right ventricle where it is then pumped through a split that ultimately forms the left and right pulmonary arteries. The left and right pulmonary arteries carry the oxygen-poor blood to the lungs to be reoxygenated. A healthy individual's pulmonary arteries sit in front of their windpipe and esophagus. However, individuals with pulmonary artery sling have a left pulmonary artery that branches from their right one. This abnormal arrangement causes the left pulmonary artery to thread between the windpipe and esophagus to reach the left lung. The symptoms of this anomaly usually manifest shortly after birth, and surgery is the only way to treat it.