Symptoms and signs of congenital heart disease in newborns

Congenital heart disease in newborns needs to be identified as early as possible because it may affect life safety. Typical symptoms include cyanosis, feeding difficulties, rapid breathing or abnormal murmurs, and medical diagnosis should be sought promptly. Early detection helps to better choose treatment methods, such as drug support, interventional surgery or surgical operation.

1. Symptoms and signs

There are many different types of congenital heart disease, and the symptoms may vary for each type. Some common symptoms include:

Cyanosis: Due to the decrease in blood oxygen saturation, the child may have obvious bluish purple skin, lips or nails. The symptoms are especially aggravated when feeding or crying.

Feeding difficulties and slow growth: Newborns are prone to fatigue and sweating when feeding, and their insufficient intake leads to slow weight gain.

Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing: Children may experience rapid, rapid breathing due to abnormal heart pumping function and increased pulmonary circulation workload.

Auscultation can reveal heart murmurs: Through examination by a professional doctor, abnormal murmurs may be heard in the heart, but not all types of congenital heart disease are accompanied by murmurs.

2Necessity of diagnosis

If you suspect your newborn has congenital heart disease, it is important to see a doctor promptly. Doctors usually confirm the diagnosis by:

Echocardiogram (heart ultrasound): It is the most commonly used accurate screening tool to understand the heart's anatomical structure and blood flow.

Electrocardiogram/chest X-ray: Helps further identify heart function and pulmonary circulation.

Blood oxygen saturation monitoring: Check the body's oxygen supply capacity, especially for children with low oxygen utilization.

3 Treatment options

The choice of treatment depends on the severity and type of the disease:

Drug treatment: such as prostaglandin E1 drip, used to keep the ductus arteriosus open and temporarily relieve symptoms, especially suitable for cases of severe hypoxia.

Interventional surgery: Some defects, such as atrial septal defect or patent ductus arteriosus, are repaired through catheter interventional technology without the need for opening the chest.

Surgery: For complex cases, such as tetralogy of Fallot and complete transposition of the great arteries, surgical repair of the lesions is required.

4Daily care and precautions

After the diagnosis is confirmed, parents should pay attention to monitoring the child's growth and respiratory changes, take supportive drugs as prescribed by the doctor, and regularly follow up to evaluate heart function. If surgery or interventional treatment has been performed, pay attention to preventing infective endocarditis and maintain good hygiene habits.

Early detection and standardized treatment of congenital heart disease in newborns can significantly improve survival rate and quality of life. Once parents find abnormal symptoms, they should immediately take their children to the hospital for examination and choose appropriate treatment plans based on the advice of professional doctors.