Congenital Heart Defects Summary A congenital heart defect is a problem with the structure of the heart. It is present at birth. Congenital heart defects are the most common type of birth defect. The defects can involve the walls of the heart, the valves of the heart, and the arteries and veins near the heart. They can disrupt the normal flow of blood through the heart. The blood flow can slow down, go in the wrong direction or to the wrong place, or be blocked completely. Doctors use a physical exam and special heart tests to diagnose congenital heart defects. They often find severe defects during pregnancy or soon after birth. Signs and symptoms of severe defects in newborns include Rapid breathing Cyanosis – a bluish tint to the skin, lips, and fingernails Fatigue Poor blood circulation Many congenital heart defects cause few or no signs and symptoms. They are often not diagnosed until children are older. Many children with congenital heart defects don’t need treatment, but others do. Treatment can include medicines, catheter procedures, surgery, and heart transplants. The treatment depends on the type of the defect, how severe it is, and a child’s age, size, and general health. NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Encyclopedia Aarskog syndrome Absent pulmonary valve Anomalous left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery Aortic angiography Aortopulmonary window Cardiac catheterization Cardiac catheterization – discharge Chest x-ray Coarctation of the aorta Coronary artery fistula Double aortic arch Double inlet left ventricle Double outlet right ventricle Ebstein’s anomaly Echocardiogram Eisenmenger syndrome Electrocardiogram Endocardial cushion defect Heart CT scan Heart MRI Hypoplastic left heart syndrome Left heart catheterization Patent foramen ovale Pediatric heart surgery Pediatric heart surgery – discharge Pulmonary atresia Pulmonary valve stenosis Tetralogy of Fallot Total anomalous pulmonary venous return Transposition of the great vessels Tricuspid atresia Truncus arteriosus Vascular ring Adults Adults with Congenital Heart Defects American Heart Association Congenital Heart Disease and the Long Winding Road to Adulthood Adult Congenital Heart Association Congenital Heart Disease in Adults Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Find an Expert American Heart Association American Heart Association National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Specifics Aortic Valve Stenosis Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia American Academy of Family Physicians Atrial Septal Defect (For Parents) Nemours Foundation Atrioventricular Canal Defect Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Coarctation of the Aorta Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Coarctation of the Aorta (For Parents) Nemours Foundation Common Types of Heart Defects American Heart Association Congenitally Corrected Transposition of the Great Arteries (CCTGA) Adult Congenital Heart Association Coronary Artery Anomalies Texas Heart Institute Double Outlet Right Ventricle Texas Heart Institute Ebstein’s Anomaly Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Facts about Atrial Septal Defect Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Facts about Atrioventricular Septal Defect (AVSD) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Facts about Coarctation of the Aorta Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Facts about dextro-Transposition of the Great Arteries (d-TGA) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Facts about Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Facts about Pulmonary Atresia Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Facts about Tetralogy of Fallot Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Facts about Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return or TAPVR Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Facts about Transposition of the Great Arteries Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Facts about Truncus Arteriosis Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Facts about Ventricular Septal Defect Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Holes in the Heart National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Learning about Velocardiofacial Syndrome National Human Genome Research Institute Patent Ductus Arteriosus National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Patent Foramen Ovale Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Patient’s Guide to Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia/Cardiomyopathy American Heart Association Pulmonary Atresia Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Pulmonary Valve Stenosis Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Single Ventricle Defects American Heart Association Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Tetralogy of Fallot National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection (TAPVC) American Heart Association Transposition of the Great Arteries Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Transposition of the Greater Arteries (TGA) Society of Thoracic Surgeons Tricuspid Atresia Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Types of Congenital Heart Defects National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Ventricular Septal Defect Society of Thoracic Surgeons Ventricular Septal Defect (For Parents) Nemours Foundation Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Array Atrial septal defect Bicuspid aortic valve Congenital heart defect corrective surgeries Congenital heart disease Cyanotic heart disease Dextrocardia Echocardiogram — children Heart murmurs and other sounds Patent ductus arteriosus Ventricular septal defect Teenagers Atrial Septal Defect Nemours Foundation Coarctation of the Aorta Nemours Foundation Ventricular Septal Defect Nemours Foundation Children Atrial Septal Defect Nemours Foundation Cardiac Catheterization Nemours Foundation Congenital Heart Disease: How to Care for Your Baby and Yourself American Academy of Family Physicians Heart Murmurs Nemours Foundation Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) American Heart Association Diagnosis and Tests Cardiac Catheterization National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Cardiac MRI National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Common Tests for Congenital Heart Defects American Heart Association Cyanosis Texas Heart Institute Echocardiography National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Electrocardiogram National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute How Are Congenital Heart Defects Diagnosed? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Pulse Oximetry American Thoracic Society Radial Artery Catheterization American Heart Association Screening for Critical Congenital Heart Disease in Newborns American Heart Association Transesophageal Echocardiography National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute What Is a Chest X Ray? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Living With Care and Treatment for Congenital Heart Defects American Heart Association Feeding Tips American Heart Association Living with a Congenital Heart Defect Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Living with a Congenital Heart Defect National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Living with Holes in the Heart National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Living with Tetralogy of Fallot National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Clinical Trials ClinicalTrials.gov: Heart Defects, Congenital National Institutes of Health ClinicalTrials.gov: Heart Murmurs National Institutes of Health Start Here Congenital Heart Defects National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Congenital Heart Defects (For Parents) Nemours Foundation Congenital Heart Defects and CCHD March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation Facts about Congenital Heart Defects Centers for Disease Control and Prevention If Your Child Has a Heart Defect Nemours Foundation Impact of Congenital Heart Defects American Heart Association Related Issues Congenital Heart Defects and Physical Activity American Heart Association Five Facts about Congenital Heart Defects Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Heart Murmur National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Heart Murmurs and Your Child Nemours Foundation Infective Endocarditis American Heart Association Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Congenital Heart Disease American Heart Association Preparing Children for Heart Surgery American Heart Association Understand Your Risk for Congenital Heart Defects American Heart Association What Is a Pediatric Heart Surgeon? American Academy of Pediatrics Reference Desk Fetal Heart Texas Heart Institute Heart and Stroke Encyclopedia American Heart Association Heart Surgery Terms Society of Thoracic Surgeons How the Heart Works National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Genetics Genetic Counseling for Congenital Heart Defects American Heart Association Genetics Home Reference: 22q11.2 deletion syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Aarskog-Scott syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Alagille syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Andersen-Tawil syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Brugada syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Cantú syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Char syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: CHARGE syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: CHOPS syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Costello syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: critical congenital heart disease National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Down syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Holt-Oram syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: McKusick-Kaufman syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Mowat-Wilson syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Noonan syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: oculofaciocardiodental syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: recombinant 8 syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Romano-Ward syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: short QT syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Simpson-Golabi-Behmel syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: supravalvular aortic stenosis National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Timothy syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: VACTERL association National Library of Medicine Women Heart Conditions and Pregnancy: Know the Risks Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Impact on Females American Heart Association Q and A: Birth Control for Women with Congenital Heart Disease Adult Congenital Heart Association Statistics and Research Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics 2014 Update American Heart Association Videos and Tutorials Heart Repair: Closing a Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) OR-Live Treatments and Therapies Heart Transplant National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute How Are Congenital Heart Defects Treated? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute How Are Holes in the Heart Treated? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute How Is a Heart Murmur Treated? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute How Is Patent Ductus Arteriosus Treated? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute How Is Tetralogy of Fallot Treated? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Therapeutic Cardiac Catheterizations for Children with Congenital Heart Disease American Heart Association Journal Articles Congenital Heart Defects Symptoms Signs and Symptoms of Congenital Heart Defects National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Latest News Heart Defects At Birth May Raise Risk for PTSD Later in Life HealthDay
