About Congenital Heart Defects
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, misplaced structures, 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:
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Arrhythmias
- Infective endocarditis
- Congestive heart failure
- Kidney and liver disease
- Healthy Heart Function
- 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
- Ebstein’s Anomaly
- Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome
- I-Transposition of the Great Arteries
- Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA)
- Pulmonary Atresia
- Pulmonary Valve Stenosis
- Single Ventricle Defects
- Tetralogy of Fallot
- Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection (TAPVC)
- Tricuspid Atresia
- Truncus Arteriosus
- Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD)