What is a Congenital Cardiovascular Defect
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According to research, there are a few types of congenital cardiovascular defects that newborns are more likely to have. These are: atrioventricular septal defects, coarctation of the aorta, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, tetralogy of Fallot, transposition of the arteries, and ventricular defects.
A septal congenital cardiovascular defect is the one that most infants develop before birth and it shows up as hole on the wall that divides the heart into two sections.
About 1% of infants will be born with a cardiovascular defect but scientists still do not know exactly why this happens. Possible causes of a congenital heart defect are thought to include alcohol use by the mother, viruses and the use of medication in either the prescription or over-the-counter form.
A stenosis is a congenital cardiovascular disorder where there is a blockage in the heart. There are several kinds of stenosis defects including atrioventricular septal defects, coarctation of the aorta, aortic stenosis, bicuspid aortic valve, coarctation of the aorta, subaortic stenosis or Ebsteins anomaly.
A cyanotic defect is one where the blood is lacking in oxygen. The most common types of cyanotic defects are pulmonary atresia, tetralogy of Fallot, total anomalous pulmonary venous, transposition of the great arteries, tricuspid atresia, and truncus arteriosus.
Newborn babies with a a hole in their heart have to have surgery to fix the problem but it depends on how big the hole is. Small holes in the heart that are not actually affecting how the heart works may cause nothing more than a simple heart murmur. A larger hole in the heart of a newborn baby could be more serious and surgery may need to be done after the child is closer to a year old. The purpose of the surgery is to fix the congenital heart defect and get blood flowing the way it should to the heart. Children who have this surgery have to make sure everything is alright occasionally throughout their lives but they usually have no problems at all.
Babies who are born with a congenital cardiovascular defect today are likely to overcome their medical issues and go on to live perfectly normal lives. There are ways to fix the majority of the congenital cardiovascular defects we see today and they can be diagnosed early on. There are many studies going on today to further understand congenital cardiovascular defects and to develop new treatments.
