Upon learning that a woman is expecting a child, parentsначинают строить различные планы, касающиеся его будущего. Любая мама надеется, что ее малыш будет самым красивым, счастливым и, самое главное, здоровым. Однако, к сожалению, иногда жизнь вносит свои коррективы и не всегда самые радужные. Одним из таких осложнений является порок сердца у ребенка. А порок сердца лечение требует самое необходимое. К счастью, врожденные пороки сердца у детей являются не таким уж распространенным явлением. Однако врожденные пороки сердца все же встречаются, и первое время могут никак не проявлять себя внешне – ребенок не выказывает никаких признаков беспокойства. Именно поэтому родители и врачи – педиатры порой не в состоянии обнаружить проблему своевременно. А ведь чем раньше будет выявлена проблема и начато адекватное явление, тем выше шансы на полное выздоровление. Цель данной статьи – познакомить родителей с признаками и симптомами пороков сердца у детей. Зная о том, что именно является поводом для беспокойства, родители смогут своевременно заподозрить неладное и обратиться за медицинской помощью к лечащему врачу. Зачастую именно родители первыми обращают внимание на проблемы со здоровьем малыша, так как имеют возможность наблюдать за ним круглые сутки. Врачи же подобной возможности лишены, так как видят кроху всего несколько минут один раз в месяц, на профилактическом приеме. Что же такое порок сердца? Данную группу заболеваний можно охарактеризовать следующим образом. Порок сердца – это патологические изменения строения сердца, сердечного клапана и сосудов. Чаще всего у детей встречаются врожденные пороки сердца – при врожденных пороках все эти патологические изменения в строении сердца происходят в период формирования плода. Частота возникновения врожденных сердечный патологий – примерно 5 случаев на каждую тысячу беременностей. Именно врожденные пороки сердца, увы, являются наиболее распространенной причиной детской смертности на протяжении первого года жизни. Многие родители, узнав о том, что их кроха страдает от врожденного порока сердца, удивляются и негодуют по поводу того, что порок сердца не был выявлен во время ультразвукового исследования женщины во время беременности. К сожалению, подобные случаи действительно имеют место быть. Связанно это с тем, что даже в том случае, если врачи добросовестно и тщательно наблюдали за женщиной во время ее беременности, порок сердца им выявить не удается. Происходит это по самым разным причинам – недостаточно высокий уровень квалификации врача, проводящего ультразвуковое исследование, старое оборудование в районных поликлиниках, и, самое главное, особенности системы кровообращение плода, не позволяющего выявить некоторые виды врожденных пороков сердца. Молодые родители обязательно должны иметь в виду эту информацию. Даже в том случае, если беременность и роды протекали абсолютно гладко, а ваш малыш выглядит абсолютно здоровым, обязательно настаивайте на проведении ультразвукового исследования сердечка крохи. Однако, увы, в программу обязательного обследования новорожденных и грудных детей не входит никаких других методов диагностики, кроме проведения электрокардиограммы. Но и ее делают далеко не в каждой поликлинике. Поэтому у родителей есть два выхода – положиться на «авось» и сделать платное УЗИ сердца своему крохе, чтобы достоверно убедиться, что с сердцем у него все в полном порядке. Врожденный порок сердца у новорожденных при ультразвуковом исследовании диагностируются достоверно и без труда.
What should parents and doctors pay attention to?
Cardiologists identify several mainsymptoms that should alert the district doctor - pediatrician, observing the baby and his parents. Read them carefully and remember them. Heart defect symptoms are as follows:
- Noises in the heart of the baby
If the doctor, listening to the baby, discovers in himheart murmurs, he should send the baby for an ultrasound examination of the heart. Parents should not panic, since heart murmurs do not always indicate that the baby has a heart defect. All heart murmurs are divided into two types - functional and organic. The presence of functional heart murmurs does not indicate any disturbance in the structure of the child's heart and is one of the varieties of the norm. Most often, the occurrence of such murmurs is due to the growth of the baby's heart and heart vessels. And, in addition, often the cause of functional heart murmurs is the presence of an additional chord (or, as it is also called, trabecula) in the heart. An additional chord is an additional strand that runs from one wall of the ventricle to the other. Congenital heart defects in children have completely different symptoms. An additional blood flow is created around it, which causes heart murmurs in the baby. Fortunately, an additional chord does not cause any discomfort for the baby and, accordingly, does not pose a threat to his health. Moreover, the presence of an additional chord is not a pathology, and certainly not a heart defect – it is not a disease at all.
- A small gain in weight in an infant
If the baby is gaining weight very poorly, this isshould alert both parents and the attending physician - pediatrician. As a rule, if the baby gains less than 400 grams during the month, this should serve as a reason for immediate consultation with a pediatric cardiologist. Many types of childhood congenital heart defects manifest themselves precisely by the slow physical development of the baby. In no case should such a problem be ignored. After all, in any case, even if poor weight gain is not a consequence of a heart defect, it indicates that the baby has serious health problems.
- The presence of shortness of breath and increased fatigue
Another alarming signal for parents anda pediatrician should be the presence of shortness of breath in the baby. Doctors call shortness of breath a change in the normal breathing rate and the depth of the inhalation itself. Fatigue in a baby may also indicate that the child has certain problems with the cardiovascular system. Of course, parents are not always able to notice shortness of breath - this requires a certain experience, which parents do not have enough of. But any mother can notice the presence of increased fatigue in a baby. This is especially pronounced when the baby is sucking the breast. The baby gets tired very quickly, constantly takes breaks, and often sweats, especially over the lip. If you notice this in your baby, be sure to seek help from your doctor - a pediatrician.
- Tachycardia
If the baby's heartbeat is too rapid,this may also indicate that the child has congenital heart defects. However, even in this case, it is quite difficult for parents to independently determine the presence or absence of tachycardia in the baby, which once again confirms the need for regular preventive examinations.
- The presence of cyanosis in crumbs
Cyanosis is what doctors call a bluish tint to the skin.baby's skin. As a rule, cyanosis of the baby's skin appears when he has complex heart defects. This shade appears when venous blood, which has a dark color, is mixed with red arterial blood. Sometimes cyanosis is expressed very slightly and even an experienced doctor may not notice it, and sometimes it is noticeable even to parents. Most often, with cyanosis, the nasolabial triangle, the skin under the nails and the heels turn blue.
Timely diagnostics
The sooner a violation of normalheart development, the higher the chances of successful treatment. That is why it is so important to detect congenital heart defects in the baby during pregnancy. For this, ultrasound examination of the fetus and CTG are used. By the way, nowadays sensitive equipment allows diagnosing a fetal heart defect already at the first ultrasound, at 12-13 weeks of pregnancy. But not all types of heart defects can be recognized at this time, so it is very important to do both the second and third ultrasound - at 25 and 35 weeks, respectively. Heart defects in newborns have a variety of causes. There is a certain risk group, which includes women who:
- Earlier there were unsuccessfully ended pregnancies - spontaneous interruptions, premature birth, the birth of a dead child.
- Those who already have children with congenital malformations of the cardiovascular system, especially those with heart defects and arrhythmias.
- In the history of pregnancy there arevarious infectious diseases, especially in the early stages of pregnancy. This fact is explained by the fact that it is during the early stages of pregnancy that the vital organs, including the cardiovascular system, are laid and formed.
- In addition, the high-risk group includesand those women in the family whose near relatives are diagnosed with various heart defects. Unfortunately, the genetic predisposition to congenital heart diseases also has a place to be.
- The presence of any chronic diseases in a pregnant woman, especially if a woman is forced to take any pharmacological preparations during pregnancy.
- If a woman expecting the birth of a child, especially the first-born, is more than 35 years old.
- Women who live in areas with poor environmental conditions.
In fairness, it should be noted thatConducting diagnostics of fetal malformations in a pregnant woman is not always possible in a district antenatal clinic, especially if we are talking about a small provincial town. As a rule, such cities do not have the necessary equipment or qualified medical personnel to conduct such a study. However, remember that your attending obstetrician-gynecologist must issue you, if there are appropriate indications, a referral to a medical institution where such specialists are available. Often, for this, a woman needs to go to another city. But, as you yourself understand, the health of your baby is worth it. Be sure to visit a doctor - after all, this can save not only the health, but also the life of your baby. Once again, all the above signs and symptoms of impaired normal development of the cardiovascular system may not be expressed in any way, or very insignificantly. And they will only intensify as the child grows older, when precious time for treating the baby will be hopelessly lost. Be sure to find an opportunity and examine your baby as soon as possible.
Types of heart defects
There are many different types of pathologicaldevelopment of the cardiovascular system. There are more than a hundred different types of heart defects alone. In this article, we will tell you in more detail only about the main ones, most often found in children. However, this information is given only to inform parents - diagnostics and treatment should be carried out only by a specialized doctor - a cardiologist.
- Aortic heart disease
The essence of this vice is as follows -the vessel that connects the aorta and the pulmonary artery is open. Doctors call the aorta a wide vessel that comes from the heart and through which arterial blood flows. The pulmonary artery is a wide vessel that comes from the right ventricle and through which venous blood flows towards the heart. With proper physiological development, this open duct is needed only during the intrauterine development of the baby, and within two weeks after birth it should close. In the same case, if for some reason the duct does not close, doctors say that the baby has a heart defect. Whether there will be external manifestations of a heart defect, such as tachycardia, shortness of breath or cyanosis, depends only on how pronounced the defect is. Often, such heart defects are completely asymptomatic, and are diagnosed only by chance, during a routine examination of the baby. Most often, a heart defect with an open arterial duct is most often detected when a pediatrician listens to the child. Such a heart defect causes loud noises, which the doctor will hear. Very often, such heart defects disappear on their own, without any surgical interventions by cardiac surgeons.
- Defect of the interstitial septum
This type of heart defect also occursquite often. In this case, the child's oval window remains open, which should also normally close by the end of the first month of the child's life. However, this does not always happen. If the opening in the oval septum is slightly open, this does not affect the normal functioning of the heart. If the opening in the septum is more than 6 millimeters, we are talking about a heart defect.
The diagnosis is questionable
In the event that the baby has a pediatriciansuspects a heart defect in children, the symptoms also confirm this diagnosis, he should refer the child to a pediatric cardiac surgeon as soon as possible. The cardiac surgeon will conduct all the necessary studies and, based on them, develop further treatment tactics. Parents whose children have been diagnosed with a heart defect should not despair. Most heart defects are successfully cured, and the child gets the opportunity to lead the same lifestyle as his healthy peers. Panic in this case will do you a disservice, because your baby needs you! We recommend reading:
