How to treat congenital heart disease in children

If a child has congenital heart disease, the family must be very anxious. Therefore, it is very important for the family of the sick child to understand the treatment methods of congenital heart disease in young children. So how to treat congenital heart disease in young children? The following article will introduce the treatment methods for congenital heart disease in young children for your reference only. Please see the detailed introduction below.

Congenital heart disease in young children is the most common type of congenital malformation, accounting for about 28% of all congenital malformations. It refers to anatomical abnormalities caused by formation disorders or developmental abnormalities of the heart and large blood vessels during embryonic development, or the failure of channels that should close automatically after birth to close (normal in the fetus).

Generally, only a few types of congenital heart disease in young children can recover naturally. For others, complications will gradually increase and the condition will gradually worsen with age. The choice of treatment and the correct timing of surgery mainly depend on the scope and degree of congenital heart malformation. Simple and mild malformations such as atrial septal defect and simple pulmonary valve stenosis have no obvious effect on hemodynamics if the defect diameter is small, and no treatment is required for life. Severe congenital heart diseases such as complete transposition of the great arteries or hypoplastic left heart syndrome must be treated with surgery immediately after birth or the baby will not survive.

Treatment of congenital heart disease in children:

There are many types of treatment, including surgical treatment, interventional treatment and drug treatment. The choice of treatment and when is the most appropriate time for surgery should be based on the condition of the child, and the cardiologist should make recommendations based on the specific circumstances of the child. For patients with no shunt or left-to-right shunt, timely surgery can produce good results and a better prognosis. For patients with right-to-left shunt or complex malformations, and those with more serious conditions, surgery is complex and difficult. Some patients cannot be completely corrected due to imperfect development of certain heart structures, and can only undergo palliative surgery to alleviate symptoms and improve quality of life.

The surgical method for congenital heart disease is mainly determined based on comprehensive factors such as the type of heart malformation and the degree of pathophysiological changes. The surgical methods can be divided into three categories: radical surgery, palliative surgery, and heart transplantation.

1. Radical surgery: can restore the patient's heart anatomy to a normal structure.

2. Palliative surgery: It can only improve symptoms but not cure the disease. It is mainly used for complex congenital heart disease that currently has no cure, such as modified surgery, or as a preparatory surgery to promote the growth and development of the original underdeveloped structure and create conditions for radical surgery, such as systemic-pulmonary shunt.

3. Heart transplantation: Mainly used for terminal heart disease and complex congenital heart disease that cannot be treated with current surgical methods.

The above is an introduction on how to treat congenital heart disease in young children. Although there is a certain chance that congenital heart disease in young children can heal itself, parents cannot rely on luck. Therefore, when a child is found to have congenital heart disease, he should go to the hospital in time for symptomatic treatment. The earlier the congenital heart disease is treated, the more beneficial it will be for the child's recovery.