About Congenital Heart Defects
![Sloan as an infant in hospital bed](/-/media/Images/Health-Topics/Congenital-Heart-Defects/Survivor-photos/Sloan-in-hospital.jpg?h=533&w=800)
Sloan was born with tetralogy of Fallot.
A congenital heart defect (CHD) results when the heart, or blood vessels near the heart, don’t develop normally before birth. Such defects result when a mishap occurs during heart development soon after conception — often before the mother is aware that she is pregnant.
The word “congenital” means existing at birth. The terms “congenital heart defect” and “congenital heart disease” are often used to mean the same thing, but “defect” is more accurate.
There are several categories of possible childhood heart problems: defects from faulty embryo development, 错误的结构, structures that don’t develop properly and heart rhythm disturbances. These defects are usually, but not always, diagnosed early in life. Congenital heart defects range in severity from simple problems, such as “holes” between chambers of the heart, to very severe malformations, such as the complete absence of one or more chambers or valves.
Such problems may or may not have a disruptive effect on a person’s circulatory system. But having a congenital heart defect can increase your risk of developing certain medical conditions that include:
- 肺动脉高压
- 心律失常
- 感染性心内膜炎
- Congestive heart failure
- Kidney and liver disease
- 健康的心脏功能
- Common Types of Heart Defects
- Aortic Valve Stenosis (AVS)
- Atrial Septal Defect (ASD)
- Coarctation of the Aorta (CoA)
- Complete Atrioventricular Canal defect (CAVC)
- d-Transposition of the Great Arteries
- 原发异常
- Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome
- I-Transposition of the Great Arteries
- Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA)
- 肺动脉闭锁
- Pulmonary Valve Stenosis
- Single Ventricle Defects
- 法洛四联症
- Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection (TAPVC)
- 三尖瓣闭锁
- 动脉干
- Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD)