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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTONS
Frequently Asked Questions
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Presented in part with the support of Novartis Pharmaceuticals and Boston Scientific / Guidant
Congenital Heart Disease
1. What is congenital heart disease?2. What causes congenital heart defects?
3. What problems do congenital heart defects cause?
What is congenital heart disease?
The term "congenital" means existing at birth. Therefore, a congenital heart defect is a defect that occurs during a baby's development.
What causes congenital heart defects?
In many cases, doctors don't know what causes congenital heart defects.
Sometimes an infection that the mother catches during pregnancy (like rubella) can interfere with the baby's development and cause the heart defect.
Certain genetic conditions, like Down's syndrome, can involve the development of the baby's heart.
Some drugs can increase the risk of a congenital heart defect if the mother takes these drugs during pregnancy.
What problems do congenital heart defects cause?
Most heart defects either 1) obstruct blood flow in the heart or vessels near it or 2) cause blood to flow through the heart in an abnormal pattern. Rarely defects occur in which only one ventricle (single ventricle) is present, or both the pulmonary artery and aorta arise from the same ventricle (double outlet ventricle). A third rare defect occurs when the right or left side of the heart is incompletely formed — hypoplastic heart.
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Cardiology Associates of Fort Lauderdale, P.A.
4725 N. Federal Hwy, Suite #401
The Jim Moran Heart and Vascular Center
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308
Phone: (954) 772-2136
Fax: (954) 772-7156
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