Congenital Heart Defects (CHD): A Complete Guide

This is a congenital abnormality in the structure of the heart where there are holes between the right and left ventricles. This hole that results due to the congenital malformation in the fetus is also called the atrioventricular canal.

A normal aortic valve has three cusps, known as the tricuspid aorta. However, in some babies, one of the cusps may either not be developed enough to function or be closed. As a result, the bicuspid aortic valve has only two functional cusps, which cause the normal flow of blood to be disrupted.

This is a condition whereby the aorta, which is the main artery in our heart, becomes narrow or constricted.

The Mitral valve (or the atrioventricular valve) is the one between the heart’s left atrium and left ventricle. Birth defects in this valve include narrowing of the valve (mitral valve coarctation) or leaky mitral valve (mitral valve regurgitation).

This condition is present at birth. In normal conditions, the aorta connects to the left ventricle (the chamber that pumps oxygen-rich blood to the body). However, in this condition, the aorta is wrongly placed and connects to the right ventricle instead.

This is a defect where the main pulmonary artery and the aorta switch positions or are ‘transposed.’

This is a rather rare form of congenital heart disease where the heart valve does not develop properly. When this happens, the leaflets of the tricuspid heart valve are malformed and do not work well. As a result, blood may leak backward from the valve.

This is a congenital defect that causes blood to flow abnormally in the heart and lungs. It makes the blood vessels in the lungs to become stiff and narrow and increases the pressure in the lungs’ arteries.

This is a rather complex defect as it is a combination of several abnormalities of the left chambers of the heart. In this condition, the aorta and left ventricle are too small and underdeveloped, while the septum does not mature and close well enough. Therefore, not enough blood is pumped into the body. This condition, if not treated urgently, could also be fatal.

When a part of an aorta is missing in a baby, the condition is called Interrupted Aortic Arch. This condition needs surgery right after birth as the heart will not be able to send blood from the aorta to the rest of the body.

It is a condition where the pulmonary valve does not exist. It, therefore, causes a problem for the blood to flow to the lungs and pick up oxygen for the body.

The pulmonary valve’s function is to control the flow of blood out of the right heart towards the lungs. When there is a defect, the valve is narrower than normal, causing the right side of the heart to work harder.

This is a rather severe defect that can be fatal within the first few weeks of birth. A single ventricle is a defect whereby only 1 of the ventricles (pumping chambers at the bottom of the heart) develops properly.

As the name suggests, tetra means 4. This condition is rare and is a combination of several defects like:

• A hole between the left and right ventricle
• Narrowing of the pulmonary valve
• Thickening of the right ventricle muscles
• The aorta is not in its correct position

There are four veins that take oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart. TAPVR occurs when these four veins are connected in the wrong way, causing blood to enter the wrong chambers or leak.

The normal blood cycle of the heart is; heart-lung-heart-body. If a baby has Tricuspid Atresia, the valve that controls this flow doesn’t form at all. Hence, the blood cannot flow in the normal way.

This condition occurs when the two main arteries (pulmonary and aorta) fail to develop properly and instead remain as a single vessel.

The ventricular septum is the wall that divides the two lower chambers of a heart. VSD occurs when there is a hole in this wall that causes extra blood to be pumped into the right ventricle. It, therefore, creates congestion in the lungs.

When the aortic arch in the main blood vessel does not form properly, it may branch out and encircle the windpipe (trachea). This condition is known as trachea rings.

It is a condition in which inflammation occurs in coronary arteries, which supply oxygen-rich blood to the heart.

LQTS is a heart rhythm condition that can cause fast, chaotic heartbeats, which can also lead to death.

In this heart defect, some of the lung blood vessels are attached at the wrong place in the heart.

This is basically an unclosed hole in the aorta. Every baby is born with ductus arteriosus, and it closes within a few days of birth. However, it may remain open in some cases of premature births. It may then require closure through medications or catheterization.

This is a hole in the heart that failed to close after birth. A foramen ovale is present in the right and left top chambers as a baby grows in the womb. However, if it does not close normally as it should, it results in a patent foramen ovale.

This is a condition that causes tachycardia (fast heartbeat). An extra signaling pathway between the upper and lower chambers of the heart causes a fast heartbeat.