Congenital cardiovascular defects, or heart conditions, occur in approximately one percent of live births, according to the American Heart Association. If your baby was born with a heart condition, she may have a hole in part of her heart, blood vessel problems or valve irregularities. Doctors use surgery and other procedures to treat cardiovascular defects in babies.
Causes
It can be difficult to determine the cause of a heart defect, and it is very possible that you may never know what caused your baby's problem. A viral infection during pregnancy can interfere with heart development, according to the American Heart Association, as can Down's syndrome and other conditions that affect multiple organs. If you take certain medications, including illegal drugs, during pregnancy, the chance of a cardiovascular defect may increase.
Types
An atrial septal defect occurs when there is a hole in the septum, the wall that separates the heart's left and right upper chambers. A ventricular septal defect occurs when the hole forms in the lower chambers of the heart, called the ventricles. In some cases, the valves in your child's heart may be narrower than normal, may be structurally abnormal or may not function correctly. The most common valve defect is pulmonary valve stenosis, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. When the pulmonary valve doesn't open completely, the right ventricle must work much harder to pump blood through the heart. Other cardiovascular defects include the presence of only one ventricle, a pinched aorta or incomplete formation of one side of the heart.
Symptoms
If your baby's heart condition is mild, there may be no noticeable symptoms. If the defect is more severe, you may notice that your baby seems tired and breathes rapidly. The lips, fingernails and skin may appear slightly blue if the heart is not working correctly due to a defect. If a defect prevents normal blood flow through the heart, your child's doctor may hear a heart murmur when listening to your child's heart with a stethoscope. If your baby has a pinched aorta, he may develop high blood pressure or congestive heart failure, according to the American Heart Association.
Considerations
FamilyDoctor.org reports that babies who have heart disease may tire easily when feeding and may need more calories to compensate for the extra work the heart must perform to circulate blood. Your doctor may suggest that you use a type of formula that contains extra calories so that your baby will gain weight.
Treatment
Heart defects are treated using surgery or catheter procedures, although the procedure used depends on the heart condition, severity and your child's age, health and size, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. During a catheter procedure, a thin tube called a catheter is inserted into a vein or artery through a small incision in the skin. Doctors pass tiny devices through the catheter to repair holes in the septum or repair narrow valves. Surgeons use open heart surgery to treat conditions that can't be helped by a catheter procedure. They perform open heart surgery to repair holes or heart valves, replace valves, enlarge arteries or repair blood vessel abnormalities.
