What are the dangers of congenital heart disease? The structure of the heart is changed in patients with congenital heart disease. In case of reduced pulmonary blood, the tissue is deprived of oxygen, which affects the patient’s growth and development; in case of increased pulmonary blood, the patient is prone to repeated pulmonary infections, which increases the burden on the heart, heart failure, and infective endocarditis. What are the clinical symptoms of congenital heart disease? Patients often catch colds and have recurrent bronchitis and pneumonia; infants have difficulty in breastfeeding and often have shortness of breath, pallor and breath-holding. Some patients show purple lips and fingers and toes, and prefer squatting distance. Patients often lag significantly behind children of the same age in terms of development, showing thinness, malnutrition and growth retardation. When should congenital heart disease be treated? Parents often fear that their children are too young to withstand surgery, resulting in many patients losing the best time for surgery, or seriously affecting their growth and development. The timing of treatment for congenital heart disease should be determined according to the specific condition of the patient and should be seen by a cardiac surgery specialist as early as possible. The minimum age for heart surgery is 2 weeks after birth for newborns. How is congenital heart disease treated? The treatment of congenital heart disease includes conventional incisional surgery, interventional therapy and small incisional minimally invasive therapy. Each of the above treatment methods is a routine treatment technique carried out in our department, and we will choose the best treatment plan according to the specific condition of the child. Interventional treatment is less invasive, shorter operation time and faster recovery, but only some simple precordial patients can use this method. Young and complex congenital heart disease is not suitable for interventional treatment. Should congenital heart surgery be done in stages? Patients with cyanotic heart disease, or “purple baby” as we often call it, usually have complex heart malformations and should be treated as early as possible. If the heart and pulmonary vascular development meet the conditions for radical treatment, one-time radical surgery is feasible; for patients with poor heart and pulmonary vascular development, “reduction” surgery can be performed first to improve the patient’s symptoms and create conditions for radical surgery. At present, most of the “purple children” can be cured, or can improve the symptoms and quality of life.