High Blood Pressure
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admin 1 January, 2009
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While high blood pressure is primarily a problem among older Americans, it can occur in children—even newborns. About 1 percent of American children have high blood pressure.
Blood pressure is the measure of two forces— the force as the heart pumps blood into the arteries and through the circulation system, and the force from the arteries as they resist this flow. High blood pressure, known medically as hypertension, occurs when the blood pressure rises significantly above normal. This can have devastating effects on the body, because the higher pressure forces the heart to work harder.
Blood pressure is always measured using two numbers—the first number (systolic) measures the pressure while the heart beats, and the second number (diastolic) measures the blood’s pressure when the heart is resting between beats. In an adult, a blood pressure of 120/70 is considered very healthy; hypertension is considered to be 130/85.
Normal blood pressure readings are lower for younger children and rise with age, varying according to age, gender, and height of a child. An occasional high reading does not necessarily indicate hypertension, but consistent high readings could indicate a problem.
Cause
High blood pressure in childhood can usually be traced to a specific cause. Hypertension in a newborn may indicate congenital heart disease, such as a constriction in the aorta. If this constriction is strong enough, the baby’s heart could fail unless it is surgically repaired.
Between 80 percent and 85 percent of cases are due to kidney diseases. Less than 5 percent of high blood pressure cases are caused by hormonal disorders or tumors. Heart disease makes up less than 3 percent; rare cases of meningitis, encephalitis, and brain tumors are other known causes.
If a parent has high blood pressure, a child is twice as likely to develop the condition as someone with no family history. Children who are overweight usually have higher blood pressure than those who are not. In fact, most children have hypertension for the same reasons as adults: family history, obesity, and lack of regular exercise.
Symptoms
The most common symptoms are headaches, dizziness, and light-headedness, but these are often so mild that the child ignores them. Many children with high blood pressure have no symptoms at all. Irritability, excessive crying, failure to gain weight, poor feeding, and low-grade fever are the only symptoms in children younger than two or three years.
In severe cases, symptoms of encephalopathy, cardiac failure, blindness, or kidney failure occur and require hospitalization.
Diagnosis
The only reliable way of diagnosing hypertension is with regular blood pressure measurements. The most important thing is for parents to have their child’s blood pressure checked regularly by the pediatrician. An occasional high reading may only be due to nervousness while at the doctor’s office. On the other hand, consistently high readings taken over a period of time (three separate readings a week apart) are more likely to be caused by true high blood pressure.
A child with high blood pressure should then be checked further as part of a focused physical examination looking for evidence of damage. A test called an echocardiogram uses sound waves to assess the child’s heart and its function.
Treatment
Most doctors prefer not to prescribe medication to treat children who have mild hypertension. Instead, the doctor may try to lower blood pressure through weight loss, cutting down on salt, behavior modification (such as relaxation techniques), and exercise. Staying fit is important in weight and blood pressure control. A minimum of 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three to four times a week may help.
When the cause of hypertension is treated, blood pressure usually returns to normal. A child with high blood pressure is not doomed to struggle with hypertension as an adult, but a child who remains overweight, has high blood pressure readings, and has a family history of hypertension is at higher risk.
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Health and Wellness
Hiccups
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admin 1 January, 2009
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Hiccups happen when the muscles of the diaphragm tighten. The diaphragm lies on top of the stomach, a thin shelf-like muscle separating the lungs and heart from the stomach and intestines. The intercostal muscles controlling the diaphragm lie between the ribs. When these muscles function normally, they help a child breathe, speak, sing, and cough. But sometimes the nerves controlling these muscles do not work right, usually in a younger child.
Hiccups can be quite common in infants and are noted by mothers before their babies are born. Babies usually get hiccups because they swallow air when feeding; as the stomach gets bigger, it squeezes the diaphragm, which is why burping a baby can help hiccups. In newborns the lack of muscle tone at this age makes hiccups appear to control the baby’s whole body, but they do not hurt children and usually will stop on their own after a brief period. Overstimulation can trigger hiccuping in infants as well.
Sucking hard or eating too much can make hiccups worse. Older children get hiccups from drinking too much soda pop or eating too much too fast. An upset or full stomach can lead to hiccups. Hiccups can hurt, but they are usually harmless, and children tend to outgrow them by late adolescence.
Treatment
Several home remedies can be effective. A child with hiccups can swallow one teaspoon of sugar fast, three or more times (once every two minutes) if the hiccups do not stop right away. Babies can be given a swallow of water. Lying down may help.
Call the Doctor
Consult a physician if
- hiccups last longer than 20 to 30 minutes
- hiccups occur in association with a prolonged cough, muscle weakness on one side of the body, or severe vomiting
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Health and Wellness
Hemophilia
Posted by
admin 1 January, 2009
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A bleeding disorder caused by a deficiency in blood clotting factors. Hemophilia A (often called classic hemophilia) is a hereditary disorder in which the clotting ability of the blood is impaired, which can lead to excessive bleeding. This type accounts for about 80 percent of all hemophilia cases. Although minor injuries and punctures are usually not a problem, uncontrolled internal bleeding can cause pain, swelling, and permanent damage to joints and muscles.
Hemophilia A occurs in about one out of 10,000 live male births. About 17,000 Americans have hemophilia, most of whom are men. Very rarely does it occur in girls and women. The only way a woman could ever have hemophilia is if her father has the disease and her mother carries the gene. With proper treatment, most boys with hemophilia will grow up to lead relatively normal lives.
Symptoms
Severity of symptoms can vary. Prolonged bleeding is the hallmark of hemophilia A, often first appearing when an infant is circumcised. Additional bleeding incidences appear as the baby begins to move around. Mild cases may go unnoticed until later in life, when the child experiences excessive bleeding and clotting problems after surgery or accidents. Internal bleeding may happen anywhere, and bleeding into joints is common.
The severity of the symptoms of hemophilia A depends on how a particular gene abnormality affects the activity of clotting factor VIII. When the activity is less than 1 percent of normal, episodes of severe bleeding recur for no apparent reason. Symptoms may include bruising, spontaneous bleeding, bleeding into joints, and associated pain and swelling, gastrointestinal tract and urinary tract hemorrhage, blood in the urine or stool, and prolonged bleeding from cuts, tooth extraction, and surgery.
Children whose clotting activity is 5 percent of normal may have only mild hemophilia with only rare unprovoked bleeding episodes. However, surgery or injury may cause uncontrolled bleeding, which can be fatal. Milder hemophilia may not be diagnosed at all, although some people whose clotting activity is 10 percent to 25 percent of normal may still have prolonged bleeding after surgery, dental extractions, or a major injury.
Typically, the first bleeding episode occurs after a minor injury before 18 months of age. A child who has hemophilia bruises easily, so that even an injection into a muscle can cause a large bruise. Recurring bleeding into the joints and muscles can ultimately lead to crippling deformities. Bleeding can swell the base of the tongue until it blocks the airway, making breathing difficult, or a bump on the head can trigger substantial bleeding in the skull, causing brain damage and death.
Cause
Hemophilia A is caused by an inherited sex-linked recessive trait with a defective gene on the X chromosome. Females are carriers of this trait. Half of the male offspring of female carriers have the disease and half of their female offspring are carriers. All female children of a male with hemophilia are carriers of the trait.
However, a third of all children with hemophilia A do not have a family history of the disorder. In these cases, hemophilia develops as the result of a new or spontaneous gene mutation.
Genetic counseling may be advised for carriers, who can be identified by genetic testing. A girl or woman is definitely a hemophilia carrier if she is:
- the biological daughter of a man with hemophilia
- the biological mother of more than one son with hemophilia
- the biological mother of one hemophilic son who has at least one other blood relative with hemophilia
A woman may or may not be a hemophilia carrier if she is:
- the biological mother of one son with hemophilia
- the sister of a male with hemophilia
- an aunt, cousin, or niece of an affected male related through maternal ties
- the biological grandmother of one grandson with hemophilia
Diagnosis
A laboratory analysis of blood samples can determine whether the child’s clotting is abnormally slow. If it is, the doctor can confirm the diagnosis of hemophilia A and can determine the severity by testing the activity of factor VIII.
Treatment
Hemophilia is treated by giving the child the missing clotting factor. How much clotting factor is given depends upon where and how much the child is bleeding and the size of the patient. In the past, mild hemophilia A was typically treated with an infusion of a substance that triggered the release of factor VIII stored within the lining of blood vessels.
Clotting factors are found in plasma and in plasma concentrates. Some plasma concentrates can be used at home, either on a regular basis to prevent bleeding or when bleeding first starts. Both the dose and frequency depend on the severity of the bleeding problem, and the dose is adjusted according to the results of periodic blood tests. During a bleeding episode, more clotting factors are needed.
Prevention
To prevent a bleeding crisis, children with hemophilia and their families can be taught to administer clotting factor concentrates at home at the first signs of bleeding. People with severe forms of the disease may need regular preventive infusions.
Depending on the severity of the disease, clotting factors may be given before dental extractions and surgery to prevent bleeding. Immunization with hepatitis B vaccine is necessary because of the increased risk of exposure to hepatitis due to frequent infusions of blood products.
Children with hemophilia should avoid situations that might cause bleeding and take good care of their teeth so they will not need to have teeth pulled. Children with hemophilia also should avoid drugs that worsen bleeding problems, including aspirin, heparin, warfarin, and painkillers such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
Complications
Complications of hemophilia include chronic joint deformities caused by bleeding into the joint or brain hemorrhage. Some children with hemophilia develop antibodies to transfused clotting factors so that the transfusions become ineffective. If antibodies are detected in blood samples, the dosage of the plasma concentrates may be increased, or different types of clotting factors or drugs to reduce the antibody levels may be used.
In the past, plasma concentrates carried the risk of transmitting blood-borne diseases such as hepatitis and AIDS. About 60 percent of people with hemophilia treated with plasma concentrates in the early 1980s were infected with HIV. Today, however, the risk of transmitting HIV infection through plasma concentrates has been virtually eliminated by using screened and processed blood and a genetically engineered clotting factor VIII (Recombinant).
New Research
Researchers are studying ways to use gene therapy to treat hemophilia by using a genetically engineered virus to deliver beneficial genes. Gene therapy is a novel form of disease treatment in which the active agent is a sequence of DNA, instead of the proteins or small molecules now used as drugs.
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Health and Wellness
Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS)
Posted by
admin 31 December, 2008
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This serious disorder—once considered to be a rare form of kidney disease—in recent years has become more common as a complication of food-borne infection of ESCHERICHIA COLI 0157:H7. In very young children, between two and seven percent of E. coli 0157:H7 infections lead to this complication. In fact, hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is the main cause of kidney failure in American children.
Symptoms
As the bacteria enter the kidneys, causing bleeding and destroying red blood cells, the child becomes pale and tired, with a fever and rising blood pressure. The kidneys shut down and urine is no longer produced.
Treatment
HUS is a life-threatening condition that must be treated in a hospital intensive care unit, where the child receives blood transfusions and is placed on kidney dialysis to allow the organs to recover. Most patients do recover at this point, but a small percentage (about 15 percent) do not and thus require permanent dialysis or a kidney transplant.
Even with intensive care, the death rate from this complication is still between 3 and 5 percent. One-third of the survivors will have abnormal kidney function years later and a few need long-term dialysis. Another 8 percent suffer with other complications, including high blood pressure, seizures, blindness, and paralysis for the rest of their lives.
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Health and Wellness
Hemangioma
Posted by
admin 31 December, 2008
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A benign tumor or birthmark caused by an abnormal number of blood vessels in the skin. Hemangiomas may be either superficial, superficial and deep, or deep.
Superficial hemangiomas, known as STRAWBERRY BIRTHMARKS, are bright red protrusions that develop shortly after birth. At about the age of six months the tumor begins to subside and the red color slowly fades; by age seven, the hemangioma completely disappears.
Deep hemangiomas are blue and never clear up by themselves. These are found most often in young children, usually on the head and neck. Deep hemangiomas are composed of dilated veins rather than capillaries and are distinguished by their slow growth and by the fact that they do not disappear.
Treatment
Superficial hemangiomas do not require treatment for any medical reason, but if the marks appear on the face there may be psychological reasons to remove these tumors. Superficial hemangiomas may be removed by pulsed dye lasers, which are most successful in young patients.
Deep hemangiomas subject the child to profound psychological stress and can permanently rob children of their sight, or distort their facial features if present for too long. Systemic corticosteroids may help the lesions shrink, and cryotherapy, electrodessication, carbon idoxide, or argon laser treatments can successfully remove the growths.
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Health and Wellness
Helicobacter Pylori
Posted by
admin 29 December, 2008
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A type of bacteria that can cause digestive illnesses, including inflammation and infection of the stomach lining, and peptic ulcer (sores on the lining of the stomach or small intestine). Experts believe that most such infections produce no symptoms, so a child can have an infection without knowing it. When the bacteria do cause symptoms, they are usually either symptoms of gastritis or peptic ulcer disease. Scientists suspect that H. pylori infection may be contagious, because the infection seems to run in families and is more common where people live in crowded or unsanitary conditions.
Symptoms
In children, symptoms of gastritis may include nausea, vomiting, and pain in the abdomen, in addition to stomach ulcers. In older children, the most common symptom of stomach ulcers is a gnawing or burning pain in the abdomen, usually in the area below the ribs and above the navel. This pain typically gets worse on an empty stomach and improves with food, milk, or an antacid medicine.
About 20 percent of children with this condition have bleeding ulcers, causing bloody vomit or black, bloody, or tarry stools. Younger children with stomach ulcers may not have symptoms as clear-cut as those of older children, and their illness may be harder to diagnose.
H. Pylori vs. Campylobacter Pylori
H. pylori was once grouped with the Campylobacter species of bacteria, Campylobacter pylori. Medical researchers have now placed H. pylori in its own category, noting its role in causing gastritis, stomach ulcers, and possibly two types of stomach cancer. In industrialized countries, the infection is rare in children, although risk of infection is higher for persons who live in overcrowded or unsanitary conditions.
Diagnosis
Doctors can make the diagnosis of an H. pylori infection by using many different types of tests. They may look at the stomach lining directly with an endoscope, and take samples of the lining to be checked in the laboratory for microscopic signs of infection and for H. pylori bacteria. They may also conduct blood or a breath test.
Treatment
Doctors treat H. pylori infections using antibiotics. Because the bacteria may not be killed with a single antibiotic, a combination of antibiotics may be given. The doctor will probably also prescribe antacid medication and medicine to block production of stomach acid. If a child has symptoms of bleeding from the stomach or small intestine, these symptoms will be treated in a hospital. Over time, with proper treatment H. pylori gastritis and stomach ulcers (especially ulcers in the duodenum, a portion of the small intestine) can often be cured.
H. pylori infection can be cured with antibiotics. The pediatrician may also give antacids or acid suppressing drugs to neutralize or block production of stomach acids. One way to help soothe the abdominal pain of H. pylori infections is by following a regular meal schedule. This means planning meals so that a child’sstomach does not remain empty for long periods. Eating five or six smaller meals each day may be best, followed by some time to rest after each meal. Aspirin, ibuprofen, or anti-inflammatory drugs should be avoided because these may irritate the stomach or cause stomach bleeding. If a child vomits blood or has vomit that looks like coffee, a doctor should be called immediately.
Prevention
There is no vaccine against H. pylori. Although research suggests that infection is passed from person to person, scientists do not really know exactly how this happens, so it is difficult to present prevention guidelines. However, it is always important to wash hands thoroughly, eat food that has been properly prepared, and drink water from a safe source.
When to Call the Doctor
Stomachaches are quite common in children, and most are not caused by H. pylori bacteria. Still, a doctor should be consulted if a child has any of the following symptoms:
- severe abdominal pain
- bloody vomit
- bloody, black, or tarry stool
- persistent gnawing/burning pain below the ribs that improves after eating, drinking milk, or taking antacids
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Heimlich Maneuver
Posted by
admin 29 December, 2008
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The Heimlich maneuver is a series of abdominal thrusts designed to create an artificial cough, which forces a foreign object out of the airway. More than 2,600 children die from accidental choking each year in this country, according to the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP).
These accidents are usually attributed to food, liquid, balloons, marbles, or other foreign objects that lodge in the airway and result in suffocation. Children are more susceptible to choking because their airways are narrower than adults’ airways. Foods commonly implicated in choking incidents include nuts, grapes, hot dogs, popcorn, chunks of meat, hard candy, and peanut butter.
The Heimlich maneuver can be performed on an older child or adolescent using this method:
- The helper stands behind the child and locates the bottom rib with the hand.
- The helper moves the hand across the abdomen to the area above the navel, and makes a fist. The thumb side of the fist is kept on the child’s abdomen.
- The helper places the other hand over the fist, pressing into the child’ s stomach with a quick upward thrust until the foreign object is dislodged. The force of the thrust should be adjusted according to the child’s physique. A heavy 15-year-old girl needs a firmer thrust than would a six-year-old child.
- The helper should have someone else call 911 after the Heimlich maneuver begins, or if the child has lost consciousness. The Heimlich maneuver should be continued until the object is dislodged.
- If the child stops breathing, loses a heartbeat, and becomes unresponsive, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) should be started immediately until help arrives.
Heimlich Maneuver on a Baby
The Heimlich maneuver should not be performed on a baby if the baby can cough strongly and breathe, cry, or make a normal voice sound. If the baby cannot do any of these things, there may be a serious airway blockage.
No one should try to attempt to retrieve the object blocking the airway unless it is visible in the mouth. If visible, the object can be swept out with a finger. By attempting to retrieve an object that is not visible, a helper risks pushing it farther down the baby’s windpipe. Someone should call 911 while the helper begins the Heimlich maneuver this way:
On an infant less than a year old:
- The baby should be held face down in the helper’s forearm, with the forearm extended out in front, making sure the baby’s head is lower than its feet.
- With the palm of the other hand, hit the baby’s back, gently but firmly, five times between the shoulder blades.
- Turn the baby face up in the helper’s arm, and perform five chest thrusts, using the third and fourth fingers of the other hand. Repeat steps two and three until the object is expelled.
- If the baby becomes unresponsive, stops breathing, or loses a heartbeat, infant CPR should be started until help arrives.
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Health and Wellness
Heat Rash
Posted by
admin 28 December, 2008
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An irritating skin rash also known as prickly heat that is associated with obstruction of the sweat glands and accompanied by prickly feelings on the skin. The medical term for prickly heat is miliaria rubra, the Latin term for “red millet seeds,” which refers to the appearance of the rash. A milder form of the condition, known as miliaria crystalline, sometimes appears first as clear, shiny, fluid-filled blisters that dry up without treatment.
Symptoms
Numerous tiny, red, itchy spots cover mildly inflamed parts of the skin where the sweat collects, especially in the waist, upper body, armpits, and insides of the elbows. With prickly heat, the child is comfortable sleeping only in cool surroundings. Lack of sleep and intense skin irritation can make the child irritable.
Cause
While doctors are not completely sure of the reason behind the development of prickly heat, it is believed to be associated with trapped sweat.
Treatment
Frequent cool showers and sponging the area will relieve the itch. Calamine lotion and dusting powder may also help to ease the discomfort. Clothes should be clean, dry, starch-free, and loose to help sweat evaporate.
Prevention
Slow acclimation to hot weather will reduce the chance of prickly heat. Avoiding strenuous activities in the heat will also help prevent the problem.
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Health and Wellness
Heat Illnesses
Posted by
admin 28 December, 2008
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Children normally cool themselves by sweating and releasing heat through the skin. Under certain circumstances, such as unusually high temperatures, high humidity, or vigorous exercise in hot weather, this natural cooling system may begin to fail, allowing internal heat to build up to dangerous levels. The result may be heat illness, which can be in the form of heat cramps, heat exhaustion, or heatstroke.
Heat Cramps
These brief, severe cramps in the muscles of the leg, arm, or abdomen may occur during or after vigorous exercise in extreme heat; they are painful but not serious. Children are particularly susceptible to heat cramps when they have not been drinking enough fluids. Most heat cramps do not require special treatment other than a cool place to rest. Fluids should ease the child’s discomfort, and massaging the muscles may help.
Heat Exhaustion
Heat exhaustion is a more severe heat illness than heat cramps. It can occur when a child in a hot climate or environment has not been drinking enough fluids. A child can lose up to a quart of sweat during a two-hour sports game, and children are more susceptible to DEHYDRATION and heat exhaustion than adults; active children who do not drink enough are most at risk.
Symptoms Symptoms can include dehydration, fatigue, weakness, clammy skin, headache, nausea and/or vomiting, rapid breathing, or irritability.
Treatment The child should rest in a cool area, drink fluids, and be encouraged to eat. Clothing should be loosened or removed, and the child should be sponged with cool (not cold) water. A doctor should be called for more advice.
If the child is too exhausted or ill to eat or drink, intravenous fluids may be necessary. If left untreated, heat exhaustion may escalate into heatstroke, which can be fatal.
Heatstroke
Heatstroke is the most severe form of heat illness and is a life-threatening emergency. When significantly overheated, the body loses its ability to regulate its own temperature and fever can soar to 105°F or even higher, leading to brain damage or even death if not quickly treated. Prompt medical treatment is required to bring body temperature under control.
Risk Overdressing for the climate and extreme physical exertion in hot weather with inadequate fluid intake increase the risk of heatstroke. Heatstroke also can occur if a child is trapped in a car on a hot day. When the outside temperature is 93°F, the temperature inside a car can reach 125° in just 20 minutes, quickly raising a child’s body temperature to dangerous levels.
Symptoms Emergency medical help should be obtained immediately if a child has been outside in the sun for a long time and shows one or more of the following symptoms of heatstroke:
- headache
- dizziness or weakness
- disorientation, agitation, or confusion
- sluggishness or fatigue
- seizures
- hot, dry skin
- temperature of 105°F or higher
- loss of consciousness.
Treatment A child with any of the above symptoms should be moved indoors or into the shade, undressed, and sponged or doused with cool (not cold) water.
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Health and Wellness
Heart Problems
Posted by
admin 28 December, 2008
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While most people think of heart disease as an adult problem, more than 40,000 American children are born with a heart defect each year, and others develop heart disease in childhood. Congenital heart defects are the most common birth defect and are the number one cause of death from birth defects during the first year of life. Nearly twice as many children die from congenital heart disease in the United States each year as die from all forms of childhood cancers combined. At present at least 35 different heart defects in children have now been identified.
Still, the outlook for children born with heart disease is slowly improving. The risk of dying after congenital heart surgery has declined from 30 percent in the 1970s to 5 percent today.
Congenital Heart Disease
Most heart disease in children is congenital, which means that a structural problem with the heart was present at birth. Eight out of 1,000 infants will be born with a congenital heart defect—about 35,000 babies each year. Defects range in severity from simple problems—holes between heart chambers, abnormal valves or connections of heart vessels, abnormally narrow heart vessels—to very severe malformations, such as the complete absence of one or more chambers or valves.
Defects appear when a mishap occurs during heart development soon after conception—often before the mother realizes she is pregnant. These defects are usually but not always diagnosed early in life.
Severe heart disease generally becomes evident during the first few months after birth. Some problems trigger very low blood pressure shortly after birth; others cause breathing difficulties, feeding problems, or poor weight gain. Minor defects are most often diagnosed on a routine medical checkup, since these defects rarely cause symptoms. While most heart murmurs in children are normal, some may be due to defects.
Cause The cause of congenital heart problems is often unknown. Although the reason most defects occur is presumed to be genetic, only a few genes have been discovered that have been linked to the presence of heart defects. Rarely the ingestion of some drugs and the occurrence of some infections during pregnancy can cause defects. A maternal viral infection may also produce serious problems. For example, if a pregnant mother gets GERMAN MEASLES (rubella), the infection may interfere with the baby’s heart as it develops or may lead to other malformations. Other viral diseases also may cause defects before birth. Certain conditions that affect multiple organs, such as DOWN SYNDROME, also can involve the heart.
Acquired Heart Disease
Acquired heart disease develops at some point during childhood as a result of infection—a much more unusual type of heart disease. This includes conditions such as KAWASAKI DISEASE, RHEUMATIC FEVER, and infective endocarditis. Children also can develop heart rate problems such as slow, fast, or irregular heart beats, known as “arrhythmias.”
Diagnosis
The echocardiogram is a noninvasive procedure that uses ultrasound to image the structures of the heart. Doctors can obtain much more echocardiographic information in children than in adults. The structure of these hearts is often extremely different from the normal adult heart. Heart surgery texts often devote five times as many chapters to congenital heart problems as they do to adult heart diseases.
Catheterization, a common procedure for evaluating adult heart conditions, is used less often in children because inserting a catheter into a child’s tiny artery carries a much higher risk. Only about one in four children must have the procedure for diagnosis.
Treatment
Because most childhood heart problems require sophisticated care, it is important that these children be treated in a center that specializes in pediatric cardiology. These centers can provide the highly skilled technical expertise needed, specialized diagnostic equipment designed for children, and the social and emotional support needed by the families.
Surgery itself involves much more sophisticated techniques than for adults, because the structure of a child’s heart is so small. Of equal significance is the degree of care necessary to support the child under anesthesia, where medications must be administered precisely matched to the child’s weight.
In the past repairs to a child’s heart were often delayed because the risks were so significant, but today doctors realize delay can interfere with growth and cause FAILURE TO THRIVE. Modern doctors believe that preserving heart function as soon as possible permanently improves the quality of life. Half of all heart repairs in children are now done less than one month following birth.
Prognosis
Virtually all children with simple defects survive into adulthood. Although exercise capacity may be limited, most lead normal or nearly normal lives.
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