Congenital heart defect

Congenital heart disease, or CHD, is a problem with the heart's structure and function that is present at birth. Congenital heart disease can describe a number of different problems affecting the heart. It is the most common type of birth defect. CHD causes more deaths in the first year of life than any other birth defects. There are many causes of CHD including problems with genes or chromosomes in the child, taking certain medications, drugs, or alcohol during pregnancy,and a viral infection,…

Tetralogy of Fallot is the most common congenital defect. I find it to be a very interesting topic for various reasons. One of them is because the first open heart surgery in America over half a century ago was to fix Tetralogy of Fallot. One of the other reasons is that this is a very complex defect and it is a defect that we cannot prevent from occurring. From the very first surgery to fix Tetralogy of Fallot it was a successful procedure. Over time technology and new research has benefited…

do my best. Our journey with UI Children’s Hospital began 16 years ago when our daughter Reagen was born. She was transferred to UI Children’s Hospital from our local hospital when she was three days old. Our pediatrician thought she had a slight heart murmur and wanted us to get it checked out with a routine echocardiogram. He said make sure you take your car seat as you will need it take her home later that afternoon. Little did we know that our journey was just beginning!!! They…

Atrial septal defect (ASD) is an abnormal communication between the atria (McCance, Huether, Brashers, & Rote, 2010, p. 1219). It is considered as the fourth most common congenital heart defect, comprising about 5% to 10% of all congenital cardiac defects. The causes of ASD remains unknown, but it was thought that genetics play a role. A person with no other heart defect, or a small defect (less than 5 millimeters) may remain asymptomatic, or manifest symptoms later in life ("MedlinePlus," 2014)…

Overview: Brachycephalic Airway Obstruction Syndrome, or more commonly referred to as Brachycephalic syndrome or abbreviated BAOS, is a syndrome that leads to respiratory distress in the affected breeds of dogs (CIDD). Brachycephalia is best described as a chondrodysplasia that has been a product of selected breeding of domesticated breeds of dogs and cats (Koch). Breed standards often encourage and require these negative anatomical features, ensuring these abnormalities are continually bred…

A heart murmur is when you hear a heartbeat that is not a continuous rhythm of beat, but instead you hear whooshing and swishing. This is caused by unstable blood in or near your heart. Your doctor can hear these sounds by using a stethoscope. You can get a heart murmur at birth or it can develop later in life. A heart murmur is not a disease but can affect the cardiovascular system which may lead to heart problems. Anyone from infant to adults can have a heart murmur. Infants and children may…

Introduction Congenital Heart Disease is apart of the respiratory system. The respiratory system is very important and fragile. It constitutes many functions with in the body. Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a series of cardiac defects. This disease is mostly prevalent at birth. However, it can develop at a later stage in life. It has become very significant in adulthood. There are many forms of CHD. For example, atrial septal defects and ventricular septal defects. The heart is a very complex…

Single Ventricle Defects WHAT ARE SINGLE VENTRICLE DEFECTS? Single ventricle defects are heart problems that you were born with (congenital heart defects). Normally the heart has two pumping chambers. These are the right and left ventricles. The right ventricle pumps blood to the lungs to get oxygen. After blood returns from the lungs, the left ventricle pumps it out to the body. Single ventricle defects come in many forms. They can involve one or more valves in your heart and a ventricle…

with a congenital heart defect (“Congenital Heart Defect”). It also states in the article that the most common type of heart defect is the ventricular septal defect. A ventricular septal defect is a flaw in the septum; the septum is a “wall” in the lower chambers of the heart that separates the left and right side (“Ventricular Septal Defect”; “Atrioventricular Canal Defect in Children”). Parents are able to be more aware if their child acquires the defect by being knowledgeable about the…

the tricuspid valve is a disease close to my heart, because I was diagnosed with it at birth and it has been a part of my life and a factor of inspiration toward the field of medical imaging. It has affected my health negatively, yet affected my life positively. I have seen every test and imaging modality involving this condition and its understanding. Ebstein’s anomaly is a congenital heart defect that counts for less than 1% of all congenital heart diseases and occurs in 1 in 210,000 live…