Heart opening
The human heart consists of two parts, right and left, separated by a muscle barrier, each of which contains two chambers, the upper is called the atrium and the lower abdomen. In the blood circulation, the right part of the heart receives oxygen-free blood from the body to pump it into the lungs. The left part receives the oxygen-rich blood from the lungs and pumps it to all parts of the body. Heart failure is a congenital malformation of the heart, including an imbalance in the muscle barrier separating the two heart sections. It is normal for the fetus to be formed at the prenatal stage, but if the closure is not complete, the aortic openings are created.
If the opening between the two upper chambers of the heart is called this imbalance defect of the atrial barrier, but if it is between the ventricles is called the defect of the ventricular barrier. These openings disrupt the normal course of blood inside the heart, leading to blood mixing between the two heart sections, allowing oxygen-deficient blood to reach various parts of the body and prevent all pure blood from reaching it.
Heart Failure Symptoms
The symptoms associated with the opening of the heart vary according to the type of aperture as follows:
Symptoms of atrial fibrillation
Many children with atrial fibrillation may not have any symptoms, but this depends primarily on the location and size of the aperture. Small openings in the heart may not cause any symptoms. They often heal alone in early childhood, or the patient may suffer from it. Shortness of breath, recurrent respiratory tract infections, or feeling of heart palpitations. These symptoms may only occur after age.
In the case of large openings, the previous symptoms may appear more severely and at younger ages, as well as suffering from loss of appetite, growth disorder, fatigue and fatigue. Large openings, especially if left untreated, can lead to myocardial infarction, In addition to the previous symptoms, the patient may suffer from a fluid pool in the lungs, as well as swelling of the ankles, feet or abdomen. One of the most common signs of atrial fibrillation is the appearance of a so-called cardiac bloating, an extra abnormal sound heard in the heartbeat.
Symptoms of ventricular septal defect
When suffering from a defect of the ventricular barrier, the left ventricle in addition to its normal role in delivering blood to all parts of the body pumping blood through the opening to the right ventricle, which forces the heart muscle to work more to pump the amount of excess blood. If the opening is small, it may cause no symptoms, except to hear the resulting cardiac blow, or some may appear late in childhood.
If the hole is large, the symptoms appear during the first few days or weeks of the child’s life. He suffers from difficulty breathing at a faster rate than the healthy person, as well as the nutritional disturbance, which is reflected in his growth, in addition to the feeling of tiredness constantly and may cause serious damage to the lungs and blood vessels In them.
Complications of heart openings
The presence of heart openings of any kind may not result in any complications if they are small in size. Large openings can lead to many complications, including a risk to the patient’s life. Osteoarthritis may cause a lack of the right side of the heart, as well as irregular heartbeat, as well as an increased chance of stroke. The patient may also suffer from pulmonary hypertension, or Eizenmegger syndrome, which permanently destroys lung tissue. The ventricular septal defect is commonly caused by pulmonary hypertension, endocarditis, cardiac lining, arrhythmias and heart valve abnormalities.
Treatment of the opening of the heart
Many heart failure cases do not require any treatment. In the case of submission to it depends on several factors, such as the type of hole and size and location, in addition to the age of the child and his health, and treatment of the opening of the heart is as follows:
- Treatment of atrial fibrillation: Doctors monitor the baby’s onset for a period of time, to determine if the opening is closed alone or not, and to monitor the symptoms as well, and to determine the type of treatment appropriate to the patient. Doctors may give some drugs to relieve symptoms, including to prevent complications such as beta-inhibitor drugs, which regulate heartbeat.
- The surgical procedure remains the definitive solution for the opening of the heart, and doctors resort to it in the case of continued small openings, and if there are openings medium or large, and doctors work in childhood. The most prominent of these procedures is the so-called cardiac catheterization process, which cures most cases of atrial fibrillation, and in some cases the use of open heart surgery to repair the aperture.
- Treatment of ventricular septal defect: The treatment begins by giving some drugs to relieve the symptoms for a period of time, in order to allow the opening to be closed alone, such as drugs, digoxin, diuretics, and drugs inhibiting beta receptors. Surgery is usually performed during the first year of a child’s life, including either cardiac catheterization or open heart surgery.