Care of a Child with Congenital Heart Disease

Congenital heart diseases (CHD) are structural defects of the heart present since birth. Your pediatrician can recognize the presence of a CHD based on your complaints and clinical examinations, ECG, and X-ray chest. We should know that even if the disease is congenital it may not have any manifestation just after birth or for some time period.Echocardiography is a kind of ultrasound of heart which gives exact structure and function of the heart, i.e., based on these information doctor may decide about the management plan. The two-dimensional (2D) echo/M-mode/spectral Doppler are the integrated modes of ultrasound for comprehensive evaluation of the heart.Some CHDs need early or urgent intervention otherwise survival is at stake or irreversible damage happens. Some CHD needs regular follow-up and may be follow-up of echoes needed every few weeks. Depending on the type of CHD, decision of intervention would be taken. A serious heart defect requiring intervention can be missed up to 10–30% cases. Echocardiography is a safe procedure and has no hazards or side effects; even echocardiography is done in fetus known as fetal echocardiography (that is echocardiography of baby within mother’s womb) also to know about heart defects. So, do not worry.