Cardiovascular: Congenital Heart Defects Flashcards
What are congenital heart defects?
Failures with development/fusion of the embryonic heart.
What do those with cardiac congenital defects also commonly have?
Other congenital defects i.e. down syndrome and cerebal palsy.
Name examples of congenital heart defects.
Atrial septal defect
Ventricular septal defect
Great vessel malformations
Patent ductus arteriosus.
What are the symptoms of congenital heart defects?
Usually asymptomatic
Why do ventricular septal defects cause more problems than atrial septal defects?
Ventricles are high pressure systems (whereas atria are under lower pressures)
The right and left ventricles contract at different forces. The right side pumps blood to the lungs therefore it contracts with less force than the left side which pumps blood to the whole body. (both atria contract with the same force)
What can the consequence of ventricular septal defects be?
Heart failure - right side of the heart is forced to work harder since the left side contracts with more force it pushes blood back into the right side as opposed to out into circulation.
What is ductus arteriosus?
Where the connection between the pulmonary and systemic circulation doesn’t fuse after the baby’s first breath.
Are there physical signs of congenital heart failure? If so, what are they?
Clubber fingers
What does congenital heart failure cause?
Central cyanosis
What is cyanosis defined by?
5g/dl or more of deoxygenated Hb (haemoglobin) in the blood
