Infants with heart problems can have a wide variety of symptoms. Newborns with congenital heart defects have problems delivering oxygen-rich blood to the body. This happens because the heart is not strong enough to pump blood adequately, or if the heart has an anatomic problem that decreases or prevents the delivery of blood to the body. Depending on the defect, symptoms of heart problems in infants can become obvious at birth, or may take time to develop.
Cyanosis
Cyanosis is a bluish tinge to the skin, especially around the lips, mouth and fingertips. According to the Cincinnati Children's Hospital, blood changes color in the presence of oxygen. When the blood lacks oxygen, it turns a dark blue or purple. Under normal circumstances, the blood gets oxygen in the lungs and then returns to the heart, which pumps it to the rest of the body. There the tissues absorb the oxygen in the blood. This oxygen-depleted blood returns to the heart, which pumps it to the lungs to be re-oxygenated. Certain congenital heart defects can cause some of the blood to bypass the lungs, resulting in more oxygen-depleted blood circulating in the body, causing cyanosis. Other defects, for example pulmonary hypertension, prevent an adequate amount of blood from entering the lungs for oxygenation.
Poor Growth
Infants with heart problems can exhibit poor growth due to two reasons: inability to eat well and increase energy requirements. This is particularly true if the child has congestive heart failure, a condition in which the heart is unable to pump blood efficiently, causing it to back up in the lungs and in the rest of the body. The heart tried to compensate by beating harder and faster, increasing the energy requirements of the infant. Also, because the blood accumulates in the lungs, infants will have significant breathing difficulty, also spending extra energy trying to move the chest in order to facilitate breathing. Respiratory distress makes it increasingly difficult for the infant to feed well, further worsening his nutritional status.
Heart murmurs
A heart murmur is an abnormal heart sound. It occurs as a result of turbulence in the flow of blood through the heart. Although most murmurs are benign, they can be a symptom of heart problems in an infant., especially if they are loud or accompanied by a clicking sound. According to the Mayo Clinic, congenital heart defects that cause murmurs in infants include septal defects, or holes in the walls separating the chambers of the heart; and heart valve abnormalities, which can diminish or obstruct the flow of blood between the chambers of the heart.
