At present, there are about 1.5 million children with congenital heart disease in China, and nearly 200,000 children are born every year. For children with congenital heart disease, early detection, early diagnosis and timely surgery are very crucial. So, how can we identify them as early as possible, treat them appropriately and effectively, and strive for the timing of surgery? Let’s take a look at some relevant hot questions. Q1: My baby was just 20 days old when he was diagnosed with “ventricular septal defect”, which the doctor said was a congenital heart defect that was formed in the mother’s womb. What is the cause of congenital heart disease? A1: Congenital heart disease can be caused by genetic and environmental factors. At present, the exact cause of congenital heart disease is not fully understood, and many studies believe that it is caused by errors in embryonic development, including both genetic and environmental factors. Genetic factors determine the predisposition to develop congenital heart disease, while environmental factors, if acting on genetic predisposition at the right time, make normal development turn into abnormal; environmental factors include infection with viruses, drugs and toxic substances during pregnancy, which usually occur in the first 1-2 months of pregnancy. Q2: My sister’s child is 2 years old and was found to have congenital heart disease during a physical examination at kindergarten. However, we usually do not notice any abnormalities in him. What are the abnormal manifestations of congenital heart disease in children? A2: Babies with congenital heart disease usually have the following abnormal manifestations: 1. shortness of breath or respiratory distress Children with congenital heart disease often have shortness of breath or respiratory distress. In particular, some children are more obvious when feeding or moving, even causing feeding difficulties, and the children are easily irritable. In general, children with cyanotic congenital heart disease have shortness of breath, but no obvious signs of respiratory distress. 2, skin cyanosis Also known as cyanosis, non-cyanotic congenital heart disease generally does not show cyanosis, if the cyanosis appears during vigorous activity, crying, feeding, etc., parents must be alert. 3. Pathological heart murmur If you take your baby to the doctor, you can hear a heart murmur with a stethoscope, which is an important sign for the diagnosis of congenital heart disease. For newborn babies with murmurs in the first few days of life without clinical manifestations, the possibility of congenital heart disease should be excluded first. Q3: My baby was found to have an “atrial septal defect” after birth, does it need to be operated quickly? A3：It is not necessary to operate immediately. Once the diagnosis of congenital heart disease is confirmed, most of them need to be cured by surgery or interventional treatment. However, this is not the case for all children. However, this is not the case in all children, because some of them have a heart defect that closes spontaneously or does not manifest throughout their lives and does not require surgery. However, for those children who need surgery, it is important to make sure that the timing of treatment is right, as missing it will result in an unrecoverable condition. Usually, the timing of surgery for congenital heart disease is not set in stone. The best time for surgery can be chosen based on the condition of the child after long-term follow-up. The timing of surgery for congenital heart disease 1, atrial septal defect Because the baby is still immature, the heart defect may still close naturally within one year of age, so you can wait for a while. However. Generally, the possibility of the heart defect closing after the age of 1 is very small, so it is advisable to take surgery before the age of 3 to avoid affecting the kindergarten. If the child’s symptoms are not obvious or no heart enlargement, the child can continue to be observed. 2.Ventricular septal defect If the defect is small, there is still a possibility of natural closure, but usually the possibility of closure after the age of 5 is very small, and surgery is needed. Especially if the defect is large and often complicated by pneumonia, early surgery is appropriate. 3.If the blood flow of the arterial duct is small, surgery or intervention can be performed at a later date, and the arterial duct can be blocked at the age of one year; if the blood flow is large, once diagnosed, it is advisable to do the ligation first regardless of age. 4.Translocation of the great vessels of the heart It is currently believed that for this type of congenital heart disease, the ideal transposition of the great arteries is appropriate within 2 weeks after birth. 5.Tetralogy of Fallot This is a more serious congenital heart disease, and it is currently considered that surgery is more effective when performed within 1 year of age, and most of them are treated with a phase I correction method. If the child’s condition is relatively mild (related to the degree and location of pulmonary artery stenosis), the operation can be appropriately postponed.