Heart surgery in children are indicated to repair heart defects a child is born with CHD (congenital heart defects) and heart diseases a child gets after birth. The surgery is needed for the child’s wellbeing. There are many kinds of heart defects ranging from minor to serious. Defects can occur inside the heart or in the large blood vessels outside the heart. Some heart defects may need surgery right after the baby is born and for few defects the surgery can wait. Certain heart defects may not need repair as they can heal as the baby grows. Symptoms for which surgery is must are:
- Blue or gray skin, lips, and nail beds (cyanosis). These symptoms indicate lack of oxygen in blood (hypoxia).
- Difficulty breathing because the lungs are “wet,” congested, or filled with fluid (heart failure).
- Problems with heart rate or heart rhythm (arrhythmias).
- Poor feeding or sleeping, and lack of growth and development of the child.
Advantages: With new advances in testing and treatment, most children who have congenital heart defects survive to adulthood and can lead healthy, productive lives.
FAQs
A congenital heart defect is a malformation of the heart existing at birth. There are many different types of CHD.
How is CHD diagnosed?
Some of the congenital defects are diagnosed before birth. Then a plan is fully discussed with parents and appropriate treatments are considered soon after the child birth. Abnormality in routine tests and defects detected in growth charts also lead to the suspicion and diagnosis of CHD in children.
How is CHD treated?
For CHD with life-threatening concerns must be surgically corrected as early as possible within few hours to days after birth. In other cases, the surgery can be planned in the growing years.
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