What Is A Congenital Heart Defect?

With increasing awareness of health, knowing what is a congenital heart defect is becoming an important query. Children born with structural anomalies of the heart are called to have congenital heart defects. This is due to the incomplete or abnormal growth of heart in a fetus.

Many congenital heart defects are not fatal and affectees grow up to be healthy adults. In severe cases, symptoms occur that sometimes lead to cardiac failure. An overview to working of the heart will make congenital heart defects easier to understand. The heart is a pumping organ split into two sides. The right side pumps blood to the lungs where it gets mixed up with oxygen. This blood then returns to the left side and gets rushed to the organs for use. There are four chambers in the heart, upper two called atria and the lower two ventricles. The atria collects blood and the ventricles send it off to organs and lungs.

Some children are born with heart defects that can be a consequence of genetics or an environmental factor. There are three basic parts of the heart, which can get affected. Heart defects disrupt the inner lining, valves or the blood vessels carrying blood in or out of the organ. A change in the formation alters the regular channel of blood causing a decrease or an irregularity in the flow. When the blood flow is disturbed a decrease in the efficiency of heart occurs. As different parts of  heart malfunction a condition called heart failure takes place.

Heart defects are of different natures. The simple ones need minor surgical procedures and life long precaution.  Less complicated are septal heart defect and narrowed valves. Septal defect means a hole in the wall of heart.  Septum is the wall that separates the chambers of left and right side of heart. The purpose is to keep oxygenated, from mixing with the deoxygenated blood. When a child is born with a hole in the septum, blood mixing occurs that makes the heart work harder than usual leading to further difficulties. Smaller holes tend to heal with time but larger ones need immediate surgical repair.

A heart defect of the narrowed walls is the constriction of the blood carrying vessels. There can be a number of reasons for the closure. In this heart defect, the thickening of valves may occur or they may completely lack the hollow for blood to pass through because of immature growth. In some cases the flaps do not close properly and blood flows back, disrupting the pattern.

Complicated defects lead to heart failure and need immediate attention. The most common complex heart defect is Tetralogy of fallot. This is a combination of four heart defects. A large septal defect or larger hole in the wall which renders heart weak. This is usually combined with a malfunctioning valve. Stiff or thickened valve muscle is the common cause. The aorta is not positioned correctly which makes blood flow directly in, instead of going to the artery that leads to lungs and then finally thickening of the right ventricle as a consequence of working over time.

Many people born with simpler heart defects continue to lead healthy lives. They need to be monitored by cardio health care experts. Medical advancement has rendered it possible for people with heart defects to lead normal lives.

Resources:

What are congenital heart defects?

How the pediatric heart works