Congenital heart defect

Congenital Heart Defect – An Introduction Congenital means “existing at birth”. Congenital heart defect (CHD) is a situation when the blood vessels near the heart or the heart itself does not develop normally before birth. Though in most cases, the cause of this defect is unknown, some of the common reasons for the development of such a condition are: • Hereditary • Viral infection in the mother during pregnancy • Alcohol or drug use by mother during pregnancy

In most of the congenital heart disease cases, the heart develops a situation in which either there is obstruction in blood flow into the heart/ vessels or there is an abnormal blood flow through the heart. The most common type of congential heart defect is the development of a hole between two chambers of the heart. Along with this there are cases in which either the • The right or left side of the heart is incompletely formed. This condition is called hypoplastic • Both the pulmonary artery and aorta arise from the same ventricle • Only one ventricle is present • The pulmonary artery and aorta arise from the “wrong” ventricles Signs and symptoms Though usually the symptoms of congenital disease depends on the severity of the heart disease, the most common signs of this condition are fainting, cyanosis, shortness of breath, heart murmur, respiratory infections, under­development of limbs and muscles.

Generally majority of the congenital heart defects are diagnosed prenatally during the second trimester of pregnancy.

Treatment Though there have been several cases where CHD improves without any treatment, usually most of the cases require medications or in extreme cases congenital heart defect surgery. Diuretics are usually prescribed as medications, as it aids the body in eliminating salts, water as well as digoxin and in turn helps in strengthening the contraction of the heart. In most of the cases the patient requires specialized cardiac care for whole life – intially with a pediatric cardiologist and later with an adult congenital cardiologist.

For more information on congenital heart disease, pediatric cardiology and cardiac sugery visit www.manipalinternationalpatientcare.com or email at mipc@manipalhospitals.com.

Manipal hospital is the best cardiac hospital in India. With a team of most experienced and highly professional cardiologists, Manipal has conducted several successful heart surgeries till date.