Congenital Heart Defects Flashcards
What are the 3 main causes of congenital defects?
Genetic (eg Down syndrome), environmental (eg teratogenicity from alcohol)and maternal infections (eg rubella).
What are the effects of a left to right shunt?
Blood from the left heart is returned to the lungs instead of the body. This in itself is not damaging, but increased pulmonary artery or pulmonary venous pressure is.
they require a hole
What are the effects of a right to left shunt?
Deoxygenated blood will bypass the lungs.
this requires a hole and distal obstruction
What are the 2 classifications of congenital heart disease?
Acyanotic eg left to right shunts.
Cyanotic eg more complex right to left shunts.
What is the effect of atrial septal defects?
There is increased pulmonary blood flow with the right ventricle volume overloaded. Eventually leads to right heart failure.
What are the effects of ventricular septal defects?
There is a left to right shunt. The left ventricle has volume overload. There is pulmonary venous congestion and eventually pulmonary hypertension.
What characterises tetralogy of Fallot?
Pulmonary stenosis, ventricular septal defect, right ventricular hypertrophy and over riding aorta.
What is transposition of the great arteries?
The right ventricle is connected to the aorta and the left ventricle is connected to the pulmonary artery.
*this is not viable for life unless the 2 communicate (eg via ductal shunts.) this is an example of bi directional shunting.
What are some of the types of atrio ventricular septal defects?
Can occur singly, as part of tetralogy of Fallot, atrioventricular canal defects and transposition of the great arteries.
What is the prevalence of ventricular septal defects?
2-5 per 100 births.
What are the types of atrial septal defects?
Ostium secundum atrial septal defect, ostium primum aerial septal defect, sinus venosus atrial septal defect.
What is the prevalence of atrial septae defects?
1/1500 detected in live births.
important as not always detected.
Give an example of an effect of a ventricular defect.
Pulmonary hypertension as blood is leaking into the right ventricle which increases its pressure.
What is a patent ductus arteriosus?
Extra point - why is this significant?
The ductus arteriosus fails to close after birth.
Extra point - can lead to heart failure if undetected. It allows transmission of blood between the aorta and pulmonary artery. This allows some oxygenated blood from the aorta to go back to the lungs, causes shortness of breath. It also causes more pressure on the lungs so it is harder for the neonate to breath.
What is stenosis?
Narrowing of a valve in the heart.
