Congenital heart defect
| Congenital heart defect | |
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| Subvalvular Ventricular Septal Defect: Gross, good view of defect with overriding aorta. Image courtesy of Professor Peter Anderson DVM PhD and published with permission © PEIR, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Pathology |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Associate Editor-in-Chief: Keri Shafer, M.D. [2]
Overview
Major categories
Patent ductus arteriosus
The ductus arteriosus is a temporary pathway in the foetal heart between the pulmonary artery and aorta, which allows blood to bypass the fetus's nonfunctioning lungs until birth. Normally, the ductus closes within a few hours or days of birth; when it does not, the result is patent ductus arteriosus. This defect is common in premature infants but rare in full-term infants.
Hypoplasia
Hypoplasia can affect the heart, which typically results in the failure of either the right ventricle or the left ventricle to develop adequately, leaving only one side of the heart capable of pumping blood to the body and lungs. Hypoplasia of the heart is rare but is the most serious form of CHD; it is called hypoplastic left heart syndrome when it affects the left side of the heart and hypoplastic right heart syndrome when it affects the right side of the heart. In both conditions, the presence of a patent ductus arteriosus (and, when hypoplasia affects the right side of the heart, a patent foramen ovale) is vital to the infant's ability to survive until emergency heart surgery can be performed, since without these pathways blood cannot circulate to the body (or lungs, depending on which side of the heart is defective). Hypoplasia of the heart is generally a cyanotic heart defect.
Septal defects
The septum is a wall of tissue which separates the left heart from the right heart. It is comparatively common for defects to exist in the interatrial septum or the interventricular septum, allowing blood to flow from the left side of the heart to the right, reducing the heart's efficiency. Ventricular septal defects are collectively the most common type of CHD, although approximately 30% of adults have a type of atrial septal defect called patent foramen ovale. Septal defects may or may not cause cyanosis depending on the severity of the defect.
References
See Also
External Links
- It's My Heart, Inc. - A National Non-Profit Organization who supports and advocates for those affected by Congenital Heart Defects
- Template:DMOZ
- General information about congenital heart defects
- Down's Heart Group. A charity offering support and information relating to heart conditions associated with Down's Syndrome.