The word “congenital”means present at birth. Most of these heart problems become evident in the womb, during the development of the baby and the formation of organs. Although the English word “defect” is often called “disease”, it should be evaluated as “defect”. Because not all congenital heart defects may cause a disease when diagnosed. While some defects do not cause any lifelong problems, in others, it may be too late when diagnosed. These diseases, which used to be diagnosed only when the child had bruising and were taken to the doctor, can now be diagnosed very easily in the womb or in the newborn period due to the development of diagnostic methods. Nowadays, in parallel with the development of diagnostic methods, the chance of success in treatment methods and experiences has increased considerably. Our patients are given urgent, early and routine appointments and plans for surgery are made. First of all, you should not forget that even if patients have the same diagnosis on paper, their treatment duration and method planning may be very different. Congenital heart defects in your patient may be identified with a single name, or 6-7 defect names may be written in the reports you have, and the presence or absence of one of these diagnoses may be very important for that patient. For this reason, you should not compare your own child's condition with other patients.
Symptoms may begin at the end of the first month after birth. Sometimes symptoms appear during childhood.
Causes:
Almost none of the congenital heart diseases have a clear cause. Nor are any racial, cultural or socioeconomic differences a cause. In patients with only heart-related disorders who have no other problems, the problem usually occurs in the early period of the baby's development in the womb, when the heart is formed. Children with certain genetic diseases have heart defects together. Babies with Down syndrome, which we see frequently in society, can be given as an example of this. Heart problems may be closely related to environmental factors exposed to during pregnancy. These; some infections during pregnancy, medications used, diabetes disease, alcohol use, drug addiction.
Diagnosis:
It is mostly diagnosed in infancy. However, even if some patients are diagnosed while in the womb, they may not be diagnosed until later ages.
It manifests itself according to the disease caused by the heart defect and the symptoms seen after it. If someone has not consulted a doctor for any reason, it may be diagnosed too late. When a heart problem is suspected, your patient will undergo some tests. Not all of them are necessary in every patient.
Blood tests are requested to understand organ functions and determine blood values before surgery. With ECG (electrocardiography), information about the rhythm and size of the heart is obtained. A heart-lung x-ray is taken to understand the size of the heart shadow, the approximate location and size of the great vessels, and the lung condition. Echocardiography (ECHO)is an examination that helps understand the movement, contraction, size, and functions of the valves of the heart. Young children who do not sleep during the procedure are put to sleep with sedative medication. Older children do not need to be put to sleep. Angiography is absolutely necessary in some diseases. The patients are anesthetized, a needle is inserted into the groin area, a catheter is sent to the heart and image recordings are taken with the medication. Intracardiac pressures are measured. It can be very necessary and decisive, especially when making an operation decision.
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