- What is a Murmur?
The "blow" caused by the blood flow in the heart and vessels, which the physician hears while listening to the heart during the examination. > sounds. Murmurs are heard in almost all congenital and acquired heart diseases due to impaired blood flow. However, the most common murmurs in children are murmurs heard without any disturbance in blood flow. These murmurs are called “innocent murmur”, “normal murmur”. “Innocent murmur” is frequently used because it is the term that best expresses that there is no heart disease. An experienced physician can often distinguish whether the murmur he hears is innocent or not. If the murmur is innocent, there is no need for further examination. If the physician is not sure about the nature of the murmur, he should refer the patient to a Pediatric Heart Diseases Specialist. In some cases, it may be difficult to distinguish whether the murmur is innocent or not by examination; in these cases, echocardiography is the surest method to confirm the diagnosis.
- Congenital Heart Diseases
Congenital heart diseases, which constitute the most common group of heart diseases in children, are structural diseases that occur in the early stages of pregnancy and are present in the heart from the moment the baby is born. Approximately eight out of every 1000 babies born have congenital heart disease. If the mother, father or close relatives have congenital heart disease, the risk for the unborn baby is higher. Although there are many types, most of them are caused by holes in the walls separating the heart chambers and stenosis in the heart valves and vessels. In some cases, there are more serious diseases such as the lack of development of a chamber, valve or vessel in the heart. Holes according to their size, number and location; Stenosis varies greatly depending on location and whether it is mild-medium-severe stenosis. Ventricular septal defect (VSD), atrial septal defect (ASD) and duct arteriosus patency (PDA) are some of them. ASD is between the atria, VSD is between the ventricles. These are the holes on the front. PDA is the opening between the aorta and the pulmonary artery (lung vein). PDA can be closed by catheter method or surgically. Small holes need to be monitored clinically, and large holes need to be closed. The appropriate ones are closed by catheter method without the need for surgery, and the others are closed surgically
- Why Do Congenital Heart Diseases Occur?
Congenital heart disease. Diseases occur in the very early stages of pregnancy, in the weeks when the organs are just beginning to form. For the most part, the reason is unknown. Although it is known that some of them are hereditary, a relationship with genes has been shown in very few diseases. There is a high risk of congenital heart disease in some genetic diseases (such as Down syndrome, Turner syndrome). The mother's use of medications that may harm the baby in the first three months of pregnancy, an infection such as rubella, or exposure to radiation may cause congenital heart diseases. Most of the time, when family history is investigated, no cause that may lead to congenital heart disease can be found. For this reason, it is generally accepted that congenital heart diseases occur due to hereditary causes and environmental factors. It can be investigated whether the unborn baby has heart disease or not, starting from the 18th week of pregnancy, using the method we call "fetal echocardiography".
- What are the Symptoms of Congenital Heart Diseases?
Some congenital heart diseases have no symptoms or the symptoms are very mild, while severe heart diseases show symptoms within the first few months or even the first few days. Babies may have problems such as bruising, difficulty feeding, getting tired while breastfeeding, rapid breathing, shortness of breath, not gaining weight, or having frequent lung infections (pneumonia, bronchitis). In older children, fatigue, palpitations, chest pain and fainting may occur. In mild diseases, the patient has no symptoms, but they are diagnosed by hearing a murmur when consulting a doctor for other reasons.
- Follow-up of Children with Congenital Heart Disease
Congenital heart diseases It should be noted that they are very diverse and may require special monitoring for the disease. In some special cases, the child must use antibiotics to protect the heart from infection (infective endocarditis).
Children with congenital heart disease need to receive age-appropriate vaccinations, as in all children. In addition, some vaccines, such as the flu vaccine and RSV vaccine, may be administered. Children's nutrition is generally the same as that of healthy children and includes general nutritional rules. In some special cases, a diet may be required. Children usually continue their normal education. Activity restriction may be required in some patients. Children with heart disease need to be regularly monitored by a pediatric cardiologist to determine their good condition. In general, more frequent check-ups are required during the initial diagnosis and after surgery, and less frequently in the following years. Depending on the child's disease, chest X-ray, electrocardiogram (ECG), and echocardiography (ECHO) examinations may be performed during follow-up. In addition, cardiac catheterization/angiography procedures can be performed to assist in diagnosis, to evaluate the patient before surgery, or to provide treatment with the catheter method without the need for surgery in suitable patients (such as closing holes with a device, opening stenosis with a balloon). >
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