Recognizing Congenital Heart Defects

Friday, February 18, 2005

Each year, approximately 40,000 babies in the United States are born with Congenital Heart Defects (CHD), or abnormal heart conditions that develop sometime during early pregnancy. CHDs are the most common birth defect. Many are detected at birth, but some are not found until early childhood or even adolescence.

"Many congenital heart defects are minor, requiring no intervention or treatment. Some, in time, will heal on their own. Other more serious defects, once detected, are almost always treatable," said Dr. Joseph Gaffney, Chief of the Division of Pediatric Cardiology at The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. "Medication, surgery and less invasive catheter-based interventions are common treatment options. Sometimes, regular visits to a pediatric cardiologist are all that is needed to make sure the CHD is not causing any health problems."

CHDs can occur when the heart, heart valves or blood vessels do not grow correctly. Reduced, blocked or misdirected blood flow can affect the cardiovascular system and thus the child's health. There are many different types of CHDs, including a valve obstruction, a hole between the left and right sides of the heart, or an underdeveloped left side of the heart.

Signs and symptoms vary with age and the type of defect.

In infants, the most common symptoms are feeding difficulties and respiratory distress, although the majority of babies with these symptoms will not have cardiac problems. Blueness of the skin, or cyanosis, is a less common symptom, but one that requires quick attention and intervention. Signs such as murmurs will not be noticeable to parents or caregivers, but will be picked up by a pediatrician. Growth failure is possible long term. Fatigue is possible, but generally not a symptom in infancy. An additional sign of CHDs in infants is excessive sweating, predominantly during feedings.

In older children, more common signs and symptoms include: murmurs, fatigue, respiratory difficulties and palpitations. It is important to remember that many murmurs are not harmful and that these symptoms may not be cardiac related.

Many symptoms are non-specific and can be manifestations of a number of different problems, both cardiac and non-cardiac. Furthermore, any single symptom is not usually a cause for alarm. It is best to consult your pediatrician or family practitioner as there may be many possible causes. If a cardiac problem is suspected, a visit to a pediatric cardiologist may be necessary.

Pediatric cardiologists will obtain a medical history, perform an examination and generally perform an electrocardiogram (EKG). Additionally, an echocardiogram or sonogram of the heart may be taken. Other tests may be done as needed.

The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (BMSCH), in conjunction with the Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian, offers a full range of pediatric cardiology diagnostic and interventional services. Interventional cardiac catheterization and cardiac surgery will be added to the pediatric cardiology program at BMSCH this spring.

About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital

Selected as one of four hospitals nationwide to offer the world's first self-contained implantable artificial heart, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.rwjuh.edu) is a 600-bed academic medical center and the principal hospital of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, NJ. Robert Wood Johnson is an innovative leader in advancing state-of-the-art care in medicine. Its Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, and women's and children's care including The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.bmsch.org). The hospital is also a Level 1 Trauma Center and serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness.

The hospital has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is ranked among the top 50 hospitals in the nation for both heart and heart surgery and respiratory disorders, according to U.S.News & World Report's 2008 ranking of "America's Best Hospitals." The American College of Surgeons' Commission on Cancer has rated Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital among the nation's best comprehensive cancer centers. The Leapfrog Group rated Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital as one of the 50 exceptional U.S. hospitals, as published in Consumers Digest magazine. Harvard University researchers, in a study commissioned by The Commonwealth Fund, identified Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital as one of the top 10 hospitals in the nation for clinical quality. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is also a recipient of the prestigious Magnet Award for Nursing Excellence for more than 10 consecutive years.

Attention members of the media: For more information on this release, please contact the Department of Public Relations (732) 937-8521.


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