Congenital Heart Defects

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics
• Genetics

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Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

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• Children
• Teenagers
• Women
• Adults
• Patient Handouts

Summary

A congenital heart defect is a problem with the structure of the heart. It is present at birth. Congenital heart defects are the most common type of birth defect. The defects can involve the walls of the heart, the valves of the heart, and the arteries and veins near the heart. They can disrupt the normal flow of blood through the heart. The blood flow can slow down, go in the wrong direction or to the wrong place, or be blocked completely.

Doctors use a physical exam and special heart tests to diagnose congenital heart defects. They often find severe defects during pregnancy or soon after birth. Signs and symptoms of severe defects in newborns include

• Rapid breathing
• Cyanosis - a bluish tint to the skin, lips, and fingernails
• Fatigue
• Poor blood circulation

Many congenital heart defects cause few or no signs and symptoms. They are often not diagnosed until children are older.

Many children with congenital heart defects don't need treatment, but others do. Treatment can include medicines, catheter procedures, surgery, and heart transplants. The treatment depends on the type of the defect, how severe it is, and a child's age, size, and general health.

NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Start Here

• Congenital Heart Defects and CCHD (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)
• Facts about Congenital Heart Defects (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Tricuspid Atresia (Nemours Foundation)
• What Are Congenital Heart Defects? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Diagnosis and Tests

• Heart Health Tests: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Pulse Oximetry (American Thoracic Society) - PDF
• Screening for Critical Congenital Heart Disease in Newborns (American Heart Association)

Treatments and Therapies

• Therapeutic Cardiac Catheterizations for Children with Congenital Heart Disease (American Heart Association) - PDF
• What Is a Heart Transplant? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Living With

• Care and Treatment for Congenital Heart Defects (American Heart Association)
• Challenges Faced by Parents of Children with Congenital Heart Disease (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• Feeding Tips For Your Baby with CHD (American Heart Association)
• Living with a Congenital Heart Defect (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Related Issues

• Congenital Heart Defects and Physical Activity (American Heart Association)
• Five Facts about Congenital Heart Defects (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Heart Murmurs and Your Child (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Infective Endocarditis (American Heart Association)
• What Is a Heart Murmur? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Specifics

• Aortic Valve Stenosis (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Atrioventricular Canal Defect (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Coarctation of the Aorta (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Congenitally Corrected Transposition of the Great Arteries (CCTGA) (Adult Congenital Heart Association)
• Coronary Artery Anomalies (Texas Heart Institute) Also in Spanish
• Cyanosis (Texas Heart Institute) Also in Spanish
• Double Outlet Right Ventricle (Texas Heart Institute)
• Facts about Atrial Septal Defect (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Facts about Atrioventricular Septal Defect (AVSD) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Facts about Coarctation of the Aorta (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Facts about dextro-Transposition of the Great Arteries (d-TGA) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Facts about Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Facts about Pulmonary Atresia (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Facts about Tetralogy of Fallot (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Facts about Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return or TAPVR (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Facts about Truncus Arteriosis (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Facts about Ventricular Septal Defect (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Learning about Velocardiofacial Syndrome (National Human Genome Research Institute)
• Noonan Syndrome (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation)
• Patent Ductus Arteriosus (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
• Patent Foramen Ovale (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Patient's Guide to Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia/Cardiomyopathy (American Heart Association)
• Pulmonary Atresia (Texas Heart Institute) Also in Spanish
• Pulmonary Valve Stenosis (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Single Ventricle Defects (American Heart Association)
• Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection (TAPVC) (American Heart Association)
• Transposition of the Greater Arteries (TGA) (Society of Thoracic Surgeons)
• Tricuspid Atresia (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• What Is Tetralogy of Fallot? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Genetics

• Genetic Counseling for Congenital Heart Defects (American Heart Association)
• Genetics Home Reference: 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Alagille syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Cantú syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Char syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: CHARGE syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: critical congenital heart disease (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Holt-Oram syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: McKusick-Kaufman syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Noonan syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: oculofaciocardiodental syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: recombinant 8 syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Simpson-Golabi-Behmel syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: supravalvular aortic stenosis (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Timothy syndrome (National Library of Medicine)

Statistics and Research

• Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics (American Heart Association)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Heart Defects, Congenital (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Heart Murmurs (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Understanding left ventricular hypertrabeculation/noncompaction: pathomorphologic findings and prognostic impact of...
• Article: Brain Injury During Transition in the Newborn With Congenital Heart...
• Article: Circulatory Changes and Cerebral Blood Flow and Oxygenation During Transition...
• Congenital Heart Defects -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Heart and Stroke Encyclopedia (American Heart Association)
• How the Heart Works (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Find an Expert

• American Heart Association
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Children

• Atrial Septal Defect (For Kids) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Atrial Septal Defect (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation)
• Congenital Heart Defects (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation)
• Heart Murmurs (For Kids) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Preparing Children for Heart Surgery (American Heart Association)
• Ventricular Septal Defect (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• What Is a Pediatric Heart Surgeon? (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish

Teenagers

• Atrial Septal Defect (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation)
• Coarctation of the Aorta (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Ventricular Septal Defect (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Women

• CHD's Impact on Females (American Heart Association)
• Heart Conditions and Pregnancy: Know the Risks (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Q and A: Birth Control for Women with Congenital Heart Disease (Adult Congenital Heart Association)

Adults

• Adults with Congenital Heart Defects (American Heart Association)

Patient Handouts

• Atrial septal defect (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Bicuspid aortic valve (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Congenital heart defect corrective surgeries (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Congenital heart disease (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Cyanotic heart disease (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Dextrocardia (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Echocardiogram -- children (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Heart murmurs and other sounds (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Patent ductus arteriosus (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Ventricular septal defect (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish