Congenital heart disease is classified as a structural heart disorder. Many abnormalities and defects can be found in congenital heart disease: communication between the heart chambers and/or large blood vessels, obstructive lesions, valvular damage, and blood mixing.

Congenital heart defects remain a challenging area of ​​cardiology because they are less common than other heart diseases, and surgical repair is quite elaborate and requires advanced techniques. Congenital heart defects can be classified based on cyanosis and the degree of pulmonary perfusion. The most common defects include: atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect, and patent ductus arteriosus. 

The causes of congenital heart defects are largely not fully understood. Genetic and environmental factors are believed to play a role. Possible causes of congenital heart defects include:

- My mother has the flu.

- Rubella during pregnancy

- The mother abuses alcohol and tobacco.

- Chromosomal abnormalities: triplets of chromosome 18, triplets of chromosome 21.

- Some drugs have been shown to cause birth defects: thalidomide, lithium, hydantoin, etc. 

Congenital heart disease symptoms are diverse and varied, ranging from asymptomatic to severe, life-threatening symptoms.

Congenital heart disease in children may include nonspecific symptoms: Failure to gain weight, delayed physical development; shortness of breath, especially during exertion; in newborns, cyanosis of the lips may be observed when crying, or crying without gasping for air; increased susceptibility to pneumonia and recurrent pneumonia.

Congenital heart disease in adults may be asymptomatic and only discovered incidentally during a medical examination. Patients may also seek medical attention due to symptoms of heart failure: shortness of breath, leg swelling, enlarged liver, and distended neck veins.

Or Eissenmenger syndrome: cyanosis of the skin and mucous membranes, clubbing of the fingers. When this syndrome is present, interventions are often no longer indicated, and the survival rate is low.

Congenital heart disease complications are quite diverse: infective endocarditis, arrhythmias, paradoxical embolism.

- The mother contracted the virus during pregnancy.

- The mother gave birth at an older age.

- My mother has diabetes.

- Both parents have congenital heart disease.

- Mother has a systemic disease: Systemic lupus erythematosus 

To prevent congenital heart defects, women need to

- Get all necessary vaccinations before pregnancy.

- Lose weight before pregnancy if you are overweight.

- A healthy diet is necessary.

- It is recommended not to have children after the age of 35.

- Avoid sources of infection during pregnancy.

- Good blood sugar control 

- Doppler echocardiography: This is a mandatory and indispensable diagnostic test. Based on echocardiography, the type of disease can be determined, guiding intervention and surgery.

- Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): allow for accurate anatomical diagnosis of intra- and extra-cardiac abnormalities.

- Large-tube cardiac catheterization: for anatomical diagnosis, assessment of shunt flow, pulmonary vascular resistance, pulmonary vascular pressure, etc.

- Chest X-ray: usually only detects indirect signs and has little value in definitive diagnosis.

- Diagnostic tests: 6-minute walk test, stress ultrasound, etc., to determine the severity of the disease and monitor treatment response. 

Currently, there are two main methods for treating congenital heart defects: surgical repair or percutaneous intervention.

Surgery: Surgical repair may involve either complete or temporary reconstruction (aorto-pulmonary bypass, Gleen surgery) to prepare for further repair steps. Repair surgery can be as simple as patching an atrial septal defect or ventricular septal defect, but it can also be as complex as a Switch procedure (re-implanting the aorta and pulmonary artery in transposition of the great arteries).

Percutaneous intervention: This is a treatment method that has been rapidly developed recently, with Vinmec actively implementing techniques such as transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVI). It can treat atrial septal defects, ventricular septal defects, and pulmonary artery valve dilation without open chest surgery. The device is delivered to the lesion via a blood vessel. Temporary treatment, such as atrial septal rupture in transposition of the great arteries, is also possible. Performing percutaneous interventions requires a team of experienced specialists.