Question 1

1) What are congenital heart diseases?

Accepted Answer

Congenital heart disease, also known as a congenital heart defect, is any sort of abnormality present in the structure of the heart such as heart walls, heart valves or blood vessels at the time of birth itself. These defects cause interference in the normal functioning of the heart. Their range of intensity can vary leading to cause simple complications to serious and severe symptoms.

Question 2

2) Is congenital heart disease fatal?

Accepted Answer

Yes, congenital heart disease can turn out to be fatal, depending on the extremity of the defect. If the condition is severe and major, the complexity of the surgery increases further due to the condition occurring in an infant, leading to death in a few rare cases. The onset of this condition can be immediately after birth, or at a later stage which is also a contributing factor for the condition to result in death.

Question 3

3) What is the most common type of congenital heart disease?

Accepted Answer

Some of the most common types of congenital heart diseases are a ventricular septal defect, which are holes formed between the lower chambers of the heart. Other common diseases are an atrial septal defect, tetralogy of Fallot, single ventricle defects, pulmonary valve stenosis, patent ductus arteriosus etc.

Question 4

4) Is congenital heart disease curable?

Accepted Answer

There is no absolute cure for congenital heart diseases as such. A lot of people undergo various surgeries, according to their condition in order to repair their heart, however, they are not completely cured. It may result in long-term effects which may affect at a later stage. The most commonly observed symptom is an abnormal heartbeat. Regular check-ups and follow-ups by your cardiologist may help in the gradual recovery and preventing any severe complications.

Question 5

5) What are the risks of congenital heart surgery?

Accepted Answer

Congenital heart defects may differ in the range of complexity with which they may occur. It can be a simple condition such as a hole in any of the chambers of the heart to an extremely severe condition resulting in the non-functioning of the heart. Congenital heart diseases are usually treated by surgeries and surgeries are associated with a certain number of complications such as:

Pulmonary hypertension
Arrhythmias
Infective endocarditis
Congestive heart failure
Infections due to the medications
Blood clots
Swelling

Question 6

6) What type of anaesthesia is used for congenital heart surgery?

Accepted Answer

Usually, the surgeries used for the treatment of congenital heart surgery make use of general anaesthetic so that the patient is unconscious for the entire procedure. In case of infants, your doctor will recommend the best approach to proceed based on the condition. However, a general anaesthetic is administered for most of the major surgeries.

Question 7

7) How long can you live with congenital heart disease?

Accepted Answer

It has been estimated that a person suffering from congenital heart disease can live for a time period of up to five years after being diagnosed. But this estimation is not fixed and varies from person to person influenced by various factors such as lifestyle, stage of the disease, age, other medical conditions.

Question 8

8) Does VSD need surgery?

Accepted Answer

If the child is of an older age, surgery is performed to remove the band and fix the hole or ventricular septal defect through open-heart surgery. If the opening is large, an open-heart surgery helps seal the hole and prevent any serious problems. If infants suffer from Ventricular Septal Defect, repair may be required within the first few months.

Question 9

9) Is a hole in the heart a congenital heart defect?

Accepted Answer

Hole in the heart, also known as Ventricular Septal Defect is a condition where there is a defect or hole that separates the lower chambers of the heart, ventricles of the work. Yes, it is a congenital heart defect and can occur at birth itself.

Question 10

10) What is the rarest congenital heart defect?

Accepted Answer

Eisenmenger syndrome is one of the rarest congenital heart condition. This disorder is characterized by the increase of blood pressure in the pulmonary artery and improper blood flow in the heart.

Question 11

11) Cost of congenital heart surgery in India?

Accepted Answer

Congenital heart surgery may cost around two to three lakhs in India. The cost may vary based on the hospitals, financial conditions, and severity of the disease.

Congenital Heart Surgery

The symptoms of a congenital heart disorder are:

Congenital Heart Disorders can be diagnosed by:

The risks involved in a Congenital Heart Surgery are:

Post-surgery, it is essential to keep in mind the following: