Hole In Heart - Congenital Heart Defect

If you have a hole in heart then you could be in big trouble. This is what is called a congenital heart defect and occurs between the chambers of the heart in the tissues that separate the chambers called the septum.

Congenital heart defects, or septal defects, are fairly common, according to the AHA, or American Heart Association. The AHA estimates that approximately 1.3 million people have this type of heart defect. These defects can have quite serious side effects.

The first and foremost symptom that may be noticed is an arrhythmia. An arrhythmia is when the heart is unable to beat a nice constant rhythm. The heart beat is erratic and speeds up or slows down at irregular intervals. The heart can even skip a beat or two. If the heart muscle stretches out due to blood pumping between the chambers then the heart will not ever be the same and cannot recover. You may be able to tell you have an arrhythmia just by feeling your heart beat. If it seems irregular, talk to your doctor about the causes.

Another problem that may arise with a hole in heart is pulmonary hypertension. Blood is pumped from the right lower ventricle of the heart to the lungs to get oxygen. Then the blood goes back to the heart where it is supposed to be pumped through to the rest of the body.

If there is a septal defect the blood really does not know exactly where to go and the heart has to work so much harder to get the blood from the wrong chamber to the correct one. 

When bad blood continually mixes with good blood then the arterial walls start to change and they get thicker increasing the pressure of the blood flowing through them. This can be a precursor to congestive heart failure, a very serious condition.

Because the blood is not flowing normally, then the chance for blood clots forming in the heart and traveling to other parts of the body is enormous. If the blood pools in the right side of the heart and there is a septal defect the clot can travel through the defect to the left side of the heart and get pumped out to any number of bodily structures, including the brain. This is called a stroke, also, very serious.

When the heart has a hole in it, it has to work a lot harder than a normal heart. The energy drain on the rest of the body is huge and there is not much left for the body to have for normal growth and development. This is called failure to thrive. Children with this condition just do not seem to ever have enough energy to play like the other normal kids.

Because the heart has to work harder it gets taxed. Well, these are some taxes that it may not be able to pay for an extended period of time. This is called heart failure. If too many arterial changes have occurred because a hole in heart caused pulmonary hypertension, the heart will eventually fail.

"This article is not to be considered medical advice of any kind and is only for informational and entertainment purposes only. As always you, the reader, should consult with your personal physician or another Licensed Health Professional."

Tomazu Scurcia

Congenital Heart Defect

Congenital heart defect is a defect in the composition of the heart and vessels of a newborn. The majority heart defects either block blood flow in the heart and vessels near it or cause blood to flow through the heart in an abnormal pattern, although other defects affecting heart rhythm such as long QT syndrome can also occur. Heart defects are among the most common birth defects and are the leading cause of birth defect-related deaths.

Congenital Heart Defects - Symptoms

Congenital heart defects because a wide range of symptoms. Your baby may have only mild symptoms and tire easily, for example. They may have serious symptoms, like severe difficulty breathing. Or your baby may not have any symptoms that you observe at birth but may develop them later as he or she grows.

Common symptoms of a congenital heart defect include:

o Difficulty breathing. This often is noticed when your baby is active, such as during feeding and crying. 

o Poor weight gain. When most of a baby's energy is spent pumping blood to the body, little is left for eating and growing. Your baby may tire when eating and may take longer than expected to finish feeding. 

o Sudden weight gain or puffiness and swelling of the skin, seen most often around the eyes and in the hands and feet and may be most noticeable when your baby first wakes up. The weight gain or puffiness can be caused by fluid retention that is related to poor blood circulation. 

o Sweating, especially on the head. You may notice that your baby has damp hair and cool, moist skin. 

o Fatigue and fussiness. Your baby may be too tired to play and may sleep most of the time. 

o Less wet diapers than expected. Following the primary week, the majority of the newborn damp at least six diapers in a twenty four hour time. You might also view the baby's urine is gloomy and pungent.

How are they treated?

Some defects get better on its own and may not need treatment. Your baby's treatment will depend on the kind of defect.

Medicines may be used to help the heart work better. Medicines may also treat symptoms until the defect is repaired.

Some defects can be fixed by using a catheter, which does not require opening up the chest. A physician threads a slim tube known as catheter throughout a blood vessel, characteristically one in the groin. The physician threads the catheter into the heart, where the physician uses this to secure holes and open conical blood vessels and valves.

If a baby has a large or complex defect, the baby may need one or more open-heart surgeries. The surgery may be done right away, done over several steps, and deferred until the infant is stronger. Occasionally surgical procedure is delayed if the baby is premature or until the baby is strong enough to handle the surgery. In some cases, the child may need different types of surgery over time as he or she grows.

Complications of congenital heart defects

The majority children who have correct congenital heart defects guide normal lives. Nevertheless, complications at times develop.

Heart failure is a major complication of congenital heart defects. Heart failure may develop many years after the defect is diagnosed. It can cause a variety of symptoms, like severe difficulty breathing and irregular heartbeats. For more information about signs and symptoms related to heart failure, see the topic Heart Failure.

Amanda C Jones