Hi sir, My name is Shashank and I want to know about baby heart problem related information. how to know a child has a heart problem? Thank you, sir.
Hi Shashank, Some babies are born with heart problems. These are called congenital heart defects. Mainly there are two types of heart defects- acyanotic and cyanotic heart defects. A child with acyonotic heart disease suffers from poor growth, recurrent infections, and difficulty in feeding. In cyanotic heart defects, a child appears blue particularly lips and nails because of the mixing of bad (deoxygenated)blood and good(oxygenated). Other cardiac problems like cardiomyopathy ( poor pumping) also have symptoms like shortness of breath, dullness, poor appetite, and swelling of the body. If a child is suspected to have heart problems some simple investigations like chest x-ray, ECG, and echocardiogram are needed to confirm the diagnosis. 2d echocardiogram should be done by a qualified doctor who has experience in the field of congenital heart diseases. Treatment includes either surgical correction of defects(open heart surgery) or intervention (noninvasive- no need to open the heart). Treatment option depends upon the type of the heart defect
Paediatric Cardiologist, Hyderabad
