Learn About Congenital Heart Defects in Newborns
When embryos are formed, their cells go through many cellular divisions until each separate organ of the body is created. It is common in the medical concept that some structures disappear before birth, which have already been formed during fetal development.
Vice versa is true, as some natural formations may appear before birth, which were not present throughout fetal development. In these varying cycles of appearance and disappearance, some congenital defects may occur, and congenital heart defects in newborns are among the most famous and important.
What are Congenital Heart Defects in Newborns?
Congenital heart defects in newborns are malformations that affect the heart or blood vessels at birth, where heart formation is not completed or is formed abnormally.
Defects include slits in the wall separating heart chambers, or incomplete closure of some heart openings, or disturbances in valves or major blood vessels emanating from the heart.
Blood vessel disturbances are among the most common types, with their prevalence ranging between 8 to 12 cases per 1000 live births globally.
Types of Congenital Heart Defects in Newborns
There are many types of congenital heart defects in newborns, we will review a number of them:
- Ventricular or atrial septal defect; as it leads to leakage of oxygen-rich blood to the right ventricle/atrium and increased blood flow to the lungs, and can cause heart failure if the hole is large.
- Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA); during fetal development and before birth, there is a duct connecting the aortic and pulmonary arteries and usually closes after birth, but if it remains, it allows blood to pass from the aorta to the lungs continuously.
- Coarctation of the aorta “Aorta” causing weakness in blood circulation to the lower limbs and high blood pressure in the upper limbs.
- Congenital heart valve defects such as mitral or bicuspid aortic valve or narrow valves or valve regurgitation.
Symptoms of Congenital Heart Defects in Newborns
Often symptoms of congenital heart defects in newborns appear early, i.e., during the first weeks of the child’s life, and differ in their severity and are represented in:
- Occurrence of shortness of breath quickly during any simple effort.
- Difficulty in feeding may lead to the child’s slow weight gain.
- Cyanosis of the skin as a result of oxygen deficiency.
- Heart palpitations and hearing an abnormal sound when the doctor performs the examination with a stethoscope.
- Continuous crying as a result of shortness of breath or chest discomfort.
Read also for more information: Life after heart valve replacement | What are the risks of heart valve replacement?
Causes of Congenital Heart Defects in Newborns
Genetic factors play a major role in the occurrence of congenital heart defects in newborns, as certain genetic mutations or syndromes such as Down syndrome may lead to a high incidence of congenital defects.
Taking some medications containing lithium, or consuming alcohol, or smoking, or the mother being infected with a viral infection such as measles or diabetes during pregnancy and not controlling it well may lead to the occurrence of congenital defects.
Diagnosis of Congenital Heart Defects in Newborns
The doctor combines the family’s medical history and clinical examination to perform an accurate diagnosis for the newborn child, and other tests can be relied upon such as:
- Echocardiogram, performed during the first days after birth if there is doubt about the child’s infection.
- Electrocardiogram (ECG) which reveals heart rhythm disturbance and ventricular enlargement.
- Chest X-ray.
- Cardiac MRI to see the structure and size of the heart and blood vessels.
Complications of Congenital Heart Defects in Newborns
When ignoring the early signs of congenital heart defect symptoms that appear on the child, the condition may worsen and complications occur as follows:
- Occurrence of heart failure.
- Ease of infection with a bacterial infection on the valves.
- Slow growth.
- Pulmonary hypertension which negatively affects pulmonary circulation and specifically the right side of the heart.
- Occurrence of blood poisoning.
- Heart rhythm disturbance.
Some parents may ask about what is heart enlargement in children, as it is one of the potential complications of untreated congenital heart defects, as the heart is forced to work harder to compensate for the functional defect, so it enlarges gradually. The same applies sometimes to heart enlargement in infants who suffer from severe congenital defects that were not treated early.
You can also view: Can heart valve be treated without surgery?
What are Congenital Heart Valve Problems?
Congenital heart defects or what is known as congenital heart defects in newborns may take several forms including:
- Narrowing of heart valves such as the aortic and pulmonary valves, affecting the ease of blood flow.
- Heart valve regurgitation such as the mitral valve and tricuspid valve which leads to blood regurgitation against its basic path.
- Formation of bicuspid valves instead of tricuspid valves.
Treatment Methods for Congenital Heart Defects in Newborns
The newborn child may not need surgical intervention in case the congenital defects were simple and do not show clear symptoms, and the doctor will suggest performing periodic heart tests to monitor blood movement and heart structure.
Otherwise, medications such as diuretics, angiotensin receptor blockers, and beta-blockers may be relied upon to control fluid volume and relieve the pressure load on the heart to avoid heart failure occurrence, as well as controlling heart rate.
The doctor may resort to surgical intervention such as repairing or replacing damaged valves, or repairing heart chambers if there is a ventricular septal defect. Intervention can be by placing a catheter to close the heart hole, or to dilate the narrow valve, but a specialized doctor with experience must be resorted to for dealing with delicate surgical interventions. It should be noted that some of these cases may continue without diagnosis until adulthood, which is known as congenital heart defects in adults, so early diagnosis reduces the chances of the condition reaching this stage.
You can communicate with Prof. Dr. Mohamed El-Ghannam on the clinic number 01211979117.
How do Congenital Heart Defects in Newborns Arise?
Heart formation is completed between the third and eighth week of pregnancy, where initially it is a longitudinal tube. Over time, the tube bends until it forms the wall separating the atria and ventricles and valve formation begins, which are a group of cells formed from heart walls. Finally, major blood vessels arise such as the aortic “Aorta” and pulmonary arteries. Any error during this process will lead to a different type of congenital heart defects in newborns.
Also learn about: Treating congenital heart defects | Congenital heart defects
Prevention Methods
There is no certain guarantee for prevention of congenital heart defects in newborns, as genetic factors, for example, cannot be fully predicted, but adherence to several tips may reduce their incidence.
- Prenatal tests and periodic check-ups during pregnancy to ensure the health of the mother and child.
- Control of chronic diseases that the mother suffers from such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
- Taking necessary nutrients under the doctor’s supervision such as folic acid, iron, calcium, and vitamins.
- Avoiding direct and indirect smoking, and some medications that may harm the pregnancy.
- Performing a genetic test before planning for pregnancy in case of a previous family history of congenital heart defects.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Congenital Heart Defect Dangerous?
The danger of congenital heart defect varies according to the severity of symptoms and type of defect. There are simple defects that may disappear after the child completes their first year, and some require medication treatment, and also corrective surgeries or catheter installation.
What are Heart Problems in Newborns?
Several problems may appear as a result of congenital defects in newborns such as congestive heart failure, heart inflammation, pulmonary valve stenosis, and also blood clotting diseases and chronic oxygen deficiency that may lead to brain damage.
When does Heart Malformation Appear in the Fetus?
We can know when fetal heart malformations appear when performing periodic tests during pregnancy such as ultrasound examination, and they usually appear during the middle months of pregnancy.
Does Heart Hole Affect the Child’s Growth?
That depends on the size of the hole. The smaller it is, the less the symptoms and it may close spontaneously after a period and does not affect growth. But if it is large or medium, it may affect the mental and physical growth of the child as a result of oxygen deficiency and slow weight gain, but that can be avoided by treating the heart hole with open surgery or catheterization.
Book now with Prof. Dr. Mohamed El-Ghannam, consultant of open-heart surgeries and minimally invasive surgical intervention in Egypt.
Clinic Locations:
- Nasr City, Cairo: Medical Tower attached to Dar Al Fouad Hospital Nasr City – intersection of Youssef Abbas with Nasr Road – Fourth Floor – Clinic 416.
- Heliopolis Clinic: 9 Ibn Al-Wardi St., branching from Ammar Ibn Yasir, Al-Nozha.
