2008 Woodie Awards
"Born With a Bad Heart": Understanding Congenital Heart Disease
Elie Lowenstein
Issue date: 12/6/04 Section: Science & Technology
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Congenital heart disease is a term denoting the presence of a structural abnormality in the heart of a newborn child. About 1-2% of all children born in the US are born with a heart defect, making it the most common type of congenital defect. To date, the exact causes of congenital heart defects are unknown, but there are various risk factors that may lead to inborn defects. Such factors include a familial history of congenital heart disease, and the health status of the mother. If the mother has diabetes, German measles, HIV, or if the mother abused alcohol, drugs, or took certain prescription medications, the newborn is at increased risk for congenital heart defects. The embryological (developmental) mechanisms behind many of these deformities are extremely complex, with results ranging from minor ailments to extremely deadly deformities. As examples, I will discuss only two of the milder defects as well as two of the more complex deformities. Along with them, I will introduce some of the treatments currently employed to treat such defects.
Septal defects, known in more laymen's terms as a "hole in the heart" represent one of the most common cardiac defects. A baby can be born with a septal (heart chamber partition) defect between the atria or ventricles. The former, being the most common is often alleviated without much problem. Sometimes these holes close by themselves, but if not, invasive cardiologists can now, without surgical intervention, close the defect with a catheter which deploys a patch that seals the hole. If this does not work, surgical intervention may be necessary to close the hole, usually without serious problems. A hole in the ventricular septum often requires surgical closure due to shunting (abnormal passage) of a large volume of blood form the left to the right ventricle, causing high blood pressure in the right ventricle and lungs. Flooding of the lungs with blood can cause congestive heart failure and various other complications.
Septal defects, known in more laymen's terms as a "hole in the heart" represent one of the most common cardiac defects. A baby can be born with a septal (heart chamber partition) defect between the atria or ventricles. The former, being the most common is often alleviated without much problem. Sometimes these holes close by themselves, but if not, invasive cardiologists can now, without surgical intervention, close the defect with a catheter which deploys a patch that seals the hole. If this does not work, surgical intervention may be necessary to close the hole, usually without serious problems. A hole in the ventricular septum often requires surgical closure due to shunting (abnormal passage) of a large volume of blood form the left to the right ventricle, causing high blood pressure in the right ventricle and lungs. Flooding of the lungs with blood can cause congestive heart failure and various other complications.