What is a Congenital Heart Disease and its treatment?

When babies are born, they’re so tiny and delicate; they require all the love and care in the world. Even more so, if the baby is born with a congenital heart disease (CHD) which can range from being simple defects to quite complex ones. The CHD treatment in India over the years has picked up with specialized pediatric cardilogists.

Examples of simple defects are a hole in the heart or defect in the valves of the heart. A hole in the heart causes mixing of oxygen laden blood with the de-oxygenated blood. A defective heart valve may interfere with the blood supply to various parts of the body. A complex heart defect may involve a simple defect coupled with abnormal connections of the blood vessels from and to the heart, or a major defect in the structure of the heart.

Congenital heart disease can be diagnosed before birth, right after birth and even when children have grown up depending on the symptoms they show because sometimes it’s difficult for parents to understand in new-born babies. 

Many types of medical tests have to be carried out by a qualified pediatric cardiologist, to know as to which type of congenital heart disease your baby has. Some of these tests are:

• Electrocardiogram (ECG): It measures the activity of different parts of your baby’s heart. Also shows as to how various parts of the heart are working.

• Pulse oximetry: It measures the amount of oxygen present in your baby’s blood.

• Echocardiogram: Provides the doctor the sound images of your baby’s heart.

• Chest X-ray: The doctor can evaluate as to how well your baby’s heart is growing and whether any fluid is present in the lungs.

• Cardiac catheterization: A dye is used in the heart to know clearly about the heart problem your baby has.

As a children’s healthcare foundation over the years we’ve seen that babies may have one or several congenital heart diseases together. The treatment is dependent on the diseases in the following ways:

• Medicines: Medicines may be prescribed to reduce the stress on the heart.

• Surgery: Some babies may need to undergo one or various types of surgeries. Some may need one or several over a period of months or years to repair heart structures. Some may need immediately as soon as they are born and some may need after sometime.

• Cardiac catheterization: Some defects of the heart such as holes can be closed using catheters by inserting balloons.

• Ablation: Some defects of the heart rhythms can be corrected by inserting tubes or small sections of heart causing problems can be destroyed using radiofrequency energy or intense cold.• Heart transplant: When there are no other treatment options, heart transplant may be considered as the last resort.

Because of the heart problem your baby has, the normal development may be hampered but there is a good chance for your baby to crawl, talk, walk and play normally like other children do. Once the heart problem is fixed, the chances for your baby to live like any other normal baby are also great. CHD Treatment in India has really become advanced with various cardiac care centres coming up in metro cities. Children’s healthcare Foundation, like Genesis Foundation focuses on supporting underprivileged children with Congenital Heart Defects. 

Caring for your baby with congenital heart disease includes understanding the basics about congenital heart disease, medicines to be used, nutrition to be provided, keeping an eye on the signs of trouble and encouraging the kid in self-management which would make him or her more confident and positive.

If you want to help another family in need, donate on genesis-foundation.net/donate today!