Pediatric congenital heart disease is no longer scary!

Pediatric congenital heart disease (congenital heart disease for short) is a congenital malformation formed by abnormal development of heart vessels during fetal life, and is the most common heart disease in children. Most of its occurrence is due to the abnormal development of the fetal heart caused by viral infection, radioactive radiation, the influence of certain drugs, lack of nutrition and certain genetic factors during the first trimester of pregnancy, thus causing congenital heart disease in children. The common simple congenital heart diseases include atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect, tetralogy of Fallot, patent ductus arteriosus, and pulmonary valve stenosis. With the development of medical science, the vast majority of congenital heart diseases can be treated with early surgery with satisfactory medium and long-term results. Therefore, early detection of suspicious symptoms is the key in order to facilitate timely examination, clear diagnosis and timely surgical treatment. The following symptoms in infants and young children should draw the attention of mothers and require suspicion of congenital heart disease: 1. infants cry low and sound hoarse. 2. Shortness of breath and weakness in breastfeeding. 3.Small appetite, poor growth and slow weight gain. 4.Pale face, restlessness, sweating, purple around the lips after strenuous activity or crying and quarrelling. 5, weak resistance, easy to catch colds, bronchitis and pneumonia and other diseases, and it is not easy to recover after the disease. In recent years, domestic diagnostic and surgical techniques for congenital heart disease have developed rapidly, and the success rate of surgical correction of most pediatric congenital heart disease has reached more than 95%. However, some children delay seeking medical treatment due to parental negligence, so that the disease has reached an advanced stage, or lose the opportunity of surgery, or complicate the cardiopulmonary insufficiency, increasing the risk of surgery. For this reason, we remind parents to take their children to the hospital as early as possible for examination to clarify the nature and degree of heart malformation and to determine the appropriate age for surgery, so as not to delay the condition with the idea of “waiting until they are older”. For children with heart murmurs but no symptoms, they should not be neglected and should undergo regular physical examinations, including cardiac ultrasound, chest X-ray and electrocardiogram, to understand the changes in murmurs and the cardiopulmonary load. Consider surgery if necessary to prevent complications such as endocarditis. 3. For children who need to wait for surgery due to age or other factors, pay attention to prevent colds, develop brushing habits and maintain oral hygiene. Tooth decay and tonsillitis should be actively treated when found. To prevent complications such as infective endocarditis. If there is a prolonged fever that does not subside, consult a physician early and avoid strenuous physical activities to avoid increasing the burden on the heart and lungs. While cooperating with doctors for active treatment, parents’ careful care is also important. The care of children with congenital heart disease in the family should pay attention to the following aspects: 1. Try to keep the child quiet, try not to make the child cry, avoid emotional excitement of the child, reduce unnecessary stimulation and induce hypoxic attacks. Older children should have a regular life, combining movement and stillness, avoiding strenuous exercise, so as not to increase the burden on the heart; at the same time, ensure sufficient sleep. 2. Children with cardiac insufficiency tend to sweat more, so they need to keep their skin clean, bathe regularly in summer, rub themselves with hot towels in winter (pay attention to keeping warm), and change their clothes and pants regularly. Feed water appropriately to ensure adequate hydration. 3. Children with congenital heart disease should eat less and more meals, need to ensure sufficient protein and vitamin intake, and give a diet that is as diverse and easy to digest as possible. Infants with congenital heart disease are more difficult to feed, and they are prone to shortness of breath when sucking and stop sucking, and they are prone to vomiting and sweating a lot, so for children with weakness or difficulty in sucking, a drip can be used to reduce the physical exertion of the child. 4, keep the stool can be smooth, if the stool is dry, defecation difficulties, excessive force will increase the abdominal pressure, increase the burden on the heart, and may even have serious consequences. If there is no stool for 2-3 days, you can use open cork to laxative. 5, indoor air circulation, children try to avoid staying in crowded public places to reduce the chance of respiratory infection. You should add and remove clothes in time with the cold weather and pay close attention to prevent colds. 6, congenital heart disease children are weak, prone to infectious diseases, especially respiratory diseases are common, so should be carefully care, with the change of seasons, and into the increase and decrease of clothing. If there is a family member with upper respiratory tract infection, isolation measures should be taken and the child should be taken to public places as little as possible. Once the child has an infection, the infection should be actively controlled. 7, regular follow-up visits to the hospital outpatient, strictly follow the doctor’s instructions to take medication, especially cardiac, diuretic drugs, due to its pharmacological properties, must be absolutely controlled dose, on time, according to the course of treatment to ensure the effectiveness. 8, by the surgical treatment of children with precardiac disease, 3 months after surgery to strengthen care. Pay attention to diet and nutrition; keep warm and prevent from catching cold. Comfort and encourage the child to prevent the burden of thought; at the same time, pay attention to the child’s sleep and rest, so that they can successfully pass the post-operative recovery period.