Children's Healthcare Foundation

Whenever we talk about heart disease, we normally associate it with the elderly population. However, babies have heart disorders too, and many of them are born with congenital heart defects. According to Indian Paediatrics journal, the estimated number of children born with congenital heart disease in India is more than 200,000 per year. Of these, about one-fifth are likely to have a serious defect, requiring intervention in the first year of life itself. Congenital Heart Defect (CHD) is the most frequently occurring congenital disorder and is responsible for 28% of all congenital birth defects. It occurs due to a defect in the formation of the heart. It is not always possible to determine the cause of congenital heart diseases. Although most new-borns present with critical CHD exhibit the symptoms and are identified soon after the birth, some are not diagnosed until after they are discharged. Early diagnosis is extremely important because children with high risk CHD can die if not pro...