Congenital heart defects are heart problems present at birth. They happen when the heart does not develop normally before birth. About 8 out of every 1,000 infants are born with one or more heart or circulatory problems. Doctors usually do not know the cause of congenital heart defects, but they do know of some conditions that increase a child's risk of being born with a heart defect.
Some of these conditions include congenital heart disease in the baby's mother or father, diabetes in the mother, or the mother's use of alcohol during pregnancy. Even if one or more of these conditions is present, it does not mean that the baby will be born with a heart defect. Also, babies can be born with heart defects even when none of these conditions are present. Rarely can families predict or prevent congenital heart defects. Doctors can usually detect most heart defects while the child is still very young. Some children live with a defect for years before it is diagnosed. In some cases, doctors can spot congenital heart defects before the baby is even born. They cannot diagnose all defects before birth though, because the heart continues to develop in the days after the baby is born.
Children with congenital heart defects may need to take antibiotic medicines before certain dental and surgical procedures. Taking antibiotics will protect against infective endocarditis. In addition, doctors will usually recommend medicines or surgery to treat the defect itself. The exact treatment depends on the type of defect.
There are many different types of congenital heart defects. More than one defect may be present at the same time. Some of the different types of heart defects are, Atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect, and Atrioventricular canal defect. .
Atrial septal defect is one of the more common heart defects. In this case there is a whole in the septum of the heart. When this defect is present blood flows through the hole from the left atrium to the right atrium, which increases the blood flow through the lungs.
