Congenital Heart Defects

Congenital heart defects are abnormalities in the heart's structure that are present at birth. Approximately 8 out of every 1,000 newborns have congenital heart defects, ranging from mild to severe. Congenital heart defects happen because of incomplete or abnormal development of the fetus' heart during the very early weeks of pregnancy. Some are known to be associated with genetic disorders, such as Down syndrome, but the cause of most congen

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Coarctation of the Aorta

The aorta is the major blood vessel that carries blood away from the heart to the body. When someone has coarctation of the aorta, the aorta is narrowed at some point. Here's how a healthy heart and aorta work: Blood that needs oxygen comes from all over the body and enters the right side of the heart, which pumps it to the lungs. The lungs fill the blood with oxygen, and this oxygen-rich blood returns from the lungs to the left side of the hea

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Atrial Septal Defect

An atrial septal defect (ASD) — sometimes referred to as a hole in the heart — is a type of congenital heart defect in which there is an abnormal opening in the dividing wall between the upper filling chambers of the heart (the atria). In most cases ASDs are diagnosed and treated successfully with few or no complications. What Is an Atrial Septal Defect? To understand this defect, it first helps to review some basics about the way a healthy

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Arrhythmias

An document.write(defarrhythmia162)arrhythmiaarrhythmia is an abnormal heart rhythm usually caused by an electrical "short circuit" in the heart. The heart normally beats in a consistent pattern, but an arrhythmia can make it beat too slowly, too quickly, or irregularly. This can cause the heart muscle's pumping function to work erratically, which can lead to a variety of symptoms, including fatigue, dizziness, and chest pain. What Causes Arrhy

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