What if Baby With Heart Condition Gets Sick

About one in every 100 children has a heart problem, which may besides be chosen a heart defect or congenital (present from birth) heart disease. Heart defects can ordinarily be treated with medicine, surgery or other medical procedures.

Most tests for heart problems are simple, quick and not painful. Well-nigh children with heart defects live a normal and total life with very few or no restrictions.

Signs and symptoms of heart defects

Many children with heart defects announced healthy and take no symptoms, and their parents do non know they have a centre trouble. If children do take symptoms, they frequently develop in the showtime few weeks after they are born. Common symptoms include:

• blue colour effectually the lips and blueish pare (cyanosis)
• difficulty feeding (especially condign sweaty during feeds)
• shortness of breath
• poor growth
• pale peel
• fatigue.

These symptoms effect from a reduced oxygen supply to the trunk, which happens because the blood does not have as much oxygen as usual, or the heart does non pump likewise equally information technology should.

How the heart works

The centre has iv chambers (like rooms) – two on each side of the trunk. The right side collects blood from the trunk and sends claret to the lungs to collect oxygen from the air nosotros exhale. The left side collects the fresh blood back from the lungs and pumps it to the residuum of the body.

Arteries are the tubes that carry claret abroad from the heart and veins are the tubes that return blood to the heart.

The blood from the lungs, which is full of oxygen, is often chosen reddish blood, as it looks bright cerise. Claret that has returned from the body dorsum to the center does not take much oxygen, and is ofttimes chosen blue blood considering it has a darker blue colour.

Walls in the heart go along the ruddy and blueish blood carve up, and valves (similar ane-way doors) continue the blood flowing in the right direction.

What causes a middle defect?

Sometimes at that place is a defect in the walls of the heart (e.yard. a hole in the heart) or a problem with the valves (due east.g. they may exist as well narrow or completely blocked). This ways either the blueish and red claret gets mixed upward, or the heart may not pump very well. When these issues occur, the trunk may not become equally much oxygen every bit normal.

Usually, a heart defect develops when the baby is still growing in the uterus. It is not caused by anything the mother did during her pregnancy, and often doctors cannot tell why the defect has happened. Sometimes heart problems are due to genetics (there is a family history of middle defects). Sometimes, certain illnesses in babyhood crusade damage to the heart.

Children can go bug with their heart after a viral infection (a virus). However, this is extremely rare.

When to run into a doctor

If your child has any of the symptoms of a center defect, see your GP. You volition be referred to a paediatrician or paediatric cardiologist (children'southward middle specialist).

There are several tests performed to diagnose center defects, well-nigh of which are uncomplicated, quick and painless:

• Chest X-ray - a simple and quick Ten-ray of the chest.
• ECG (an electrocardiogram) - wires are attached with mucilaginous dots on the peel of the breast, arms and legs. The wires record the electrical activity of the centre. It is very quick and your child won't feel annihilation more than than the gummy dots.  Your child must lie quite yet for nearly a infinitesimal, which can be tricky every bit small children tend to wriggle effectually.
  
• Ultrasound scan (an echocardiogram, or an repeat) - a handheld scanner is placed on the chest and stomach and gives a movie of the heart on a TV monitor. Your child will experience some pressure level equally the scanner is pushed quite firmly. Information technology is non painful but may exist a bit uncomfortable.
  

Because your child must lie very still for these tests, sometimes they are given some sedation (medicine sedation to make them experience sleepy). This is usually a liquid they beverage or a small squirt given up the nose by syringe. There are no needles involved.

Treatment for middle defects

The treatment for your child'south heart defect volition depend on the crusade of the problem. Most heart defects resolve by themselves over fourth dimension, and some can be stock-still with medicine. Sometimes surgery or other procedures may be needed. In some cases, your child may need a combination of treatments.

Medicine

For some heart problems, children tin have medicine that can be stopped in one case the problem has improved. Sometimes medicines demand to be taken for many years, or even for the child'south whole life.

Surgery

Eye surgery can provide a life-long cure for some heart conditions. A heart surgeon will discuss the risks and benefits with you in particular. Sometimes, surgery may be delayed until your child is older and stronger, which means they are able to tolerate the surgery improve. Depending on your child'due south status, multiple operations may be needed.

In very rare cases where surgery, procedures or medicine does non help, a child may need a heart transplant.

Other procedures

Some procedures involve putting a sparse tube, called a catheter, through the veins to the centre to care for the heart defect. Your kid is given a general anaesthetic for this procedure.

How volition a heart defect touch on my kid?

Some parents worry that their kid might die suddenly. Fortunately, this is extremely rare for children. Virtually children with heart problems are successfully treated, and many live an active and good for you life.

It is understandable to feel very protective of your kid if they have a center problem. However many children can be independent, play competitive sports and do virtually all of the things that other children do with very few restrictions. Check with your doctor nigh what level of physical activity is safe for your child.

If your child's childcare centre, kindergarten or school is concerned well-nigh your child taking part in regular activities, or you are given alien advice by another health professional, talk to your kid'south cardiologist and ask for a letter about what your child can or cannot do.

Follow-up

After your child has been treated for their eye defect, they will have regular checks with their cardiologist and/or paediatrician. For problems non related to their heart, they can keep to see their regular GP. If you accept are worried about your child, speak to your kid's GP, paediatrician or cardiologist.

Key points to remember

• Heart bug are quite common in children (about one in 100).
  
• Handling for heart defects depends on the cause of the problem, and may include medicines, surgery or other medical procedures.
  
• Children with minor heart bug often alive long and normal lives without treatment.
  
• Children who need treatment often atomic number 82 normal lives with picayune or no restrictions to what they can do.

For more information

• The Purple Children's Infirmary Cardiology Department
• Be Positive: A child's guide to hospital: ECG
• Be Positive: A child'due south guide to hospital: Echocardiogram
  
• Be Positive: A child's guide to infirmary: X-ray – chest
  
• HeartKids
• Cardiac Matters
• Run into your GP or cardiologist.

Common questions our doctors are asked

Does a pigsty in the center always need surgery?

When they are in their mother's womb, babies have blood coming from the umbilical string and into their heart through a pocket-sized pigsty, which usually closes up by the time they are born. For some babies, the hole remains open, but it closes soon after birth, and surgery is not needed. In some children, if the hole doesn't close past itself by a certain historic period, they will demand surgery to repair the hole.

What is a eye murmur?

A heart murmur is an actress 'whooshing' audio heard by a doctor or nurse when listening to the middle with a stethoscope. It is acquired by turbulence of the blood flowing through the centre. Some heart murmurs are the result of a heart defect, just usually murmurs are not due to any centre problem at all – these are called 'innocent murmurs'. Many healthy children have innocent murmurs, which are often detected when a child is unwell with a fever. This is considering the heart works harder when the torso temperature is loftier, and the murmur is louder.

Does the repeat expose my child to radiation?

No. An repeat test involves an ultrasound, similar to what most mothers take during their pregnancy to check the growing foetus. Ultrasounds exercise not involve any radiation and they are totally safe, painless and quick.

Developed by The Purple Children'southward Hospital Cardiology department. Nosotros acknowledge the input of RCH consumers and carers.

Reviewed May 2018.

Kids Wellness Info is supported by The Majestic Children's Hospital Foundation. To donate, visit www.rchfoundation.org.au.

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Source: https://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/fact_sheets/Heart_problems_in_children/

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