Vanessa Beretta & Dan Fleming

About CHD A congenital heart defect also known as CHD is a defect in the structure of the heart and great vessels. Most heart defects either obstruct blood flow in the heart or vessels near it or cause blood to flow through the heart in an abnormal pattern. Heart defects are among the most common birth defects and are the leading cause of birth defect-related deaths.

What causes CHD CHD is caused by improper development of the heart during the fetal developing stage. In most cases, there is no known reason for the heart to have formed improperly. Some types of congenital heart defects can be related to an abnormality of an infant's chromosomes (5% to 6%), single gene defects (3% to 5%), or environmental factors (2%). In 85 to 90 percent of cases, there is no cause that can be identified; generally they are considered to be caused by multifactorial inheritance which means there are many factors that are involved; those factors being both environmental and genetic.

Symptoms and Signs Symptoms and signs depend on the type of the defect as well as the severity. Sometimes there are no signs while other times they show shortness of breath, cyanosis, chest pain, syncope, sweating, heart murmur, respiratory infections, under developing of limbs and muscles, poor appetite, poor growth, and build up of blood and fluid in lungs, feet, ankles and legs. Congenital heart defects cause abnormal heart structure resulting in production of certain sounds or murmurs. Doctors can sometimes detect it with stethoscope. However, all heart murmurs are not caused by congenital heart defects. CHD symptoms frequently are present early in life, but it's possible for some CHDs to go undetected throughout life.

Various CHD’s Congenital heart diseases are divided into two types: cyanotic (a blue discoloration caused by a relative lack of oxygen), and non-cyanotic. Cyanotic Tetralogy of Fallet Transpostion of the great Vessels Tricuspid Atresia Truncus Arteriosus Non-Cyanotic Ventricular Septal Defect Atrial Septal Defect Patent Ductus Arteriosus Aortic Stenosis Full list of CHD’s found here:

Tetralogy of Fallot involves three always present anatomical abnormalities although sometimes there is a fourth. It is the most common cyanotic heart defect, representing 55-70% of all cyanotic heart defects, and the most common cause of blue baby syndrome (which is caused by a decrease oxygen carrying capacity of the hemoglobin) Transpostion of the great Vessels are CHDs involving any abnormal spatial arrangement of a primary blood vessel. Transposed vessels can cause a large amount of discordance among the heart. This odd position at which the vessels sit, can cause anything from change in blood pressure to an interruption in circulation. Tricuspid Atresia is a CHD where there is no tricuspid valve, which leads to no right AV connection and essentially an absent right atrium. This causes the body to be unable to properly oxygenate itself enough to sustain life. Truncus Arteriosus is a CHD where the aorta and pulmonary trunk are never properly divided.

Ventricular Septal Defect is a defect in the wall dividing the ventricles (ventricular septum). This abnormal flow of blood between ventricles causes a murmur in some cases. Atrial Septal Defect enables blood flow between atriums through the interatrial septum. Patent Ductus Arteriosus is where the ductus arteriosis (shunt pulmonary artery to aorta) fails to close, it can cause increased work of breathing, poor weight gain and if uncorrected can lead to congestive heart failure. Aortic Stenosis is when the aortic valve doesn’t open completely leading to a resistance in blood flow leaving the heart. Full list found at:

Treatments It is not uncommon for some CHDs to heal on their own in time. It is also common for the defect to be so small that it can go untreated. Medications such as diuretics, which aid the baby in eliminating water, salts, and digoxins which help with strengthening the contraction of the heart. This slows the heartbeat and removes some fluid from tissues. Other defects require surgical procedures to restore as much circulation as possible. In some cases, multiple surgeries are needed to be performed to help balance the circulation. Interventional cardiology now offers patients minimally invasive alternatives to surgery. Device closures can now be treated with a standard a transcatheter procedure using a closure device mounted on a balloon catheter.