10-month-old baby unexpectedly discovered congenital heart disease from signs many Vietnamese children have

GĐXH - Children accidentally discovered congenital heart disease when going to the doctor for reasons of slow weight gain, poor appetite, difficulty breathing...

Recently, doctors at Quang Ninh Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital said they had performed open heart surgery to repair a ventricular septal defect on a 10-month-old female patient, weighing only 6.3 kg, residing in Cam Pha city, Quang Ninh province.

The child was accidentally diagnosed with congenital heart disease when he went to the Quang Ninh Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital for examination due to slow weight gain, poor appetite, and difficulty breathing. The child was treated with internal medicine and then hospitalized for heart surgery.

98% of congenital heart disease patients can be cured if detected early. Photo: BVCC

Echocardiogram results showed a large ventricular septal defect with a diameter of 7.9mm, and a right ventricular shunt. Left ventricular chamber dilation.

After specialist consultation, the child was assigned to have open heart surgery to repair the ventricular septal defect. The surgical team was made up of doctors, technicians, and nurses from the Cardiovascular Unit of the Hospital. After surgery, the patient's pulse and blood pressure were stable. The child was given special resuscitation in the Post-operative Room - Intensive Care Unit, transferred to the Department of Surgery - Specialty, and has now recovered and been discharged from the hospital.

Doctor CKII Trinh Truong Tuyen - Head of the Department of Surgery said: Congenital heart disease has many causes, most of which are related to developmental abnormalities during the stage when the heart is structurally formed. Signs of heart disease in children in the first month of life include: purple skin immediately after birth, breathing faster than normal children when not breastfeeding or when lying down to sleep, rapid breathing when breastfeeding, slow weight gain, malnutrition, recurrent lung infections, excessive sweating due to excessive exertion...

The doctor also noted: Congenital heart disease is not the same as heart disease in the elderly. Congenital heart defects can be detected by prenatal and postnatal ultrasound. If detected and intervened early, 98% of congenital heart disease patients can be cured and return to normal life.

Newborns should be screened for congenital heart disease only once in the newborn period by pediatric cardiologists to ensure that the baby has a perfect heart. Currently, all babies born at Quang Ninh Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital are screened for congenital heart disease according to the procedure.

Source: https://giadinh.suckhoedoisong.vn/be-10-thang-tuoi-bat-ngo-phat-hien-ly-tim-bam-sinh-tu-dau-hieu-nhieu-tre-em-viet-mac-phai-172250327092600015.htm