Family Casebook Congenital Heart Defects

May 11 2008 Dr Gareth Smith

A BEAMING smile shows this baby is thriving after surgery for a hole in the heart.

One baby in every 100 born in Scotland has a congenital heart defect.

This is caused by a problem in the heart's development in the womb. Defects vary in severity and can have no known cause or be due to infection, such as Rubella, or by drugs or drink abuse by the mother during pregnancy.

It could be holes between the chambers of the heart, problems with the valves between the chambers, blockages in the blood flow around the heart or to the lungs or even a missing chamber.

Problems usually arise in the first few days or weeks of life but some do not show for years. Not all need surgery but others require fast intervention if the baby is to survive.

Some babies can be operated on when they are still in the uterus.

Most children make a full recovery before adulthood.