Heart - one of the vital organs of our body, so any problems with it at the baby quite naturally a concern of parents. What is a heart murmur, how dangerous it is and how to help your child?
Ear to the human thorax, we can hear the sound of the heartbeat. Normally, this two-tone, make up the cardiac cycle: First - loud, and the second - quiet. They alternate, creating a distinctive rhythm.
- The first tone occurs due to the reduction of cardiac muscle and blood expulsion in major blood vessels - the aorta and pulmonary trunk.
- The second tone is generated as a result of blood ventricular filling and stretching of their walls.
How does the heart
The human heart has four chambers, two atria (right and left) split atrial and ventricular 2 (left and right) demarcated interventricular septum.
Noise in the heart of the child: how dangerous it is and what to do parents / istockphoto.com
Between the right atrium and ventricle is the tricuspid, between the left atrium and the ventricle - bicuspid (mitral) valve. Valves on the border of the ventricles and the major blood vessels, where they emit blood, and they all need timely opened and closed to circulation took place in a strictly defined direction.
What is a heart murmur?
Noise called extraneous sounds that occur during the cardiac cycle. They can be layered on heart sounds, distorting them or heard during pauses as additional tones.
All the noise is conventionally divided into the so-called "innocent" and those that are caused by certain diseases.
The first for more than 90%, and they are connected or to anatomical features or with certain conditions of the organism in which the blood runs faster:
- fever,
- excessive thyroid function.
Much less common noises, showing heart and vascular diseases, such as congenital and acquired defects walls and valves, heart muscle, vascular important highways.
Noise in the heart of the child: how dangerous it is and what to do parents / istockphoto.com
How does noise?
Usually about 19-20 weeks of pregnancy, the expectant mother to recommend a regular ultrasound study whose purpose is to determine whether the form all organs and system of the fetus, including including the heart.
Some disadvantages can be identified at this stage, and consequently, to prepare for the birth of the baby. For example, a woman may be referred to a specialized hospital, in which there are neonatal intensive care unit, where, if necessary, easy to transport crumbs to cardiac surgeons.
However, the work of the circulatory system of the fetus is significantly different from that of the newborn, and restructuring it begins as soon as the baby makes its first breath. Therefore, some weaknesses can be identified only after the birth, and some - even a few months or even years!
This is why in the hospital crumbs daily examined by a doctor neonatologist and after discharge are regularly watching a pediatrician or family doctor.
To identify noise enough listening to a stethoscope.
Also, physicians should pay attention to the warning signs that may be evidence of heart disease or other serious conditions. Depending on the inspection results the doctor will recommend further examination or advise just watch the growth and development of the baby.
The vast majority of noise is quite safe for the crumbs, and not a sign of disease.
Noise in the heart of the child: how dangerous it is and what to do parents / istockphoto.com
What could be a sign of a congenital heart defect?
- Minor defects appearance: extra fingers on the arms and / or legs, or the lack of them, the unusual shape or absence of ears, bridge of the nose is too wide, and the like;
- Dyspnea (labored breathing frequent) during exertion (sucking) or at rest;
- Swelling in the legs, arms, back and buttocks (the parts of the body where the baby lies)
- Blue lips and mucous membranes, fingers, the skin around the eyes and mouth, which appears amplified or sucking;
- The lag in weight, growth and development;
- Poor sucking, poor appetite, weakness.
Noise in the heart of the child: how dangerous it is and what to do parents / istockphoto.com
That will advise the doctor?
If the doctor has the slightest suspicion that a heart murmur caused by lack of, not just the individual characteristics of anatomy, he will direct you to further examination.
It is mandatory to conduct echocardiography (echocardiographic). This ultrasound, which allows you to get a picture of the basic structures of the heart and large vessels (walls, valves, muscles).
With dopplerehografii (this ultrasonic method is often performed by that apparatus, and echocardiography) can be estimated, which receives blood from all the chambers of the heart, and to what extent. Some information is also provided an overview chest X-ray, electrocardiogram, blood and urine tests.
Questions that address physicians using different methods:
• Does the child have a heart disease? If not, then we can reassure parents and baby monitoring in normal mode
• If the defect is, whether it needs surgical correction? Some minor flaws can be reduced or completely disappear with age, and does not significantly affect the health of your baby. However, they need to monitor and some of the "enhanced security measures";
• Do I need to take medication? Of course, the tablets or drops not correct extra opening in the defective interatrial septum or valve. However, they can improve the performance of the heart muscle, adjust the rhythm of cuts, to reduce the symptoms of heart failure. It is extremely important to gain time before the operation;
• If it is clear that the operation can not be avoided, the age at which it is optimal to do? On the one hand, it is better that the child is a little older and put on weight, on the other - waiting too long can lead to irreversible changes in the body, where the intervention will not help. In each case, this is solved individually.
It's important to know!
If your child has a heart defect, even one that is not yet in need of surgery, the cardiologist may recommend that prevention of bacterial endocarditis. This state, when certain bacteria enter the bloodstream and cause inflammation of the inner lining of the heart.
"Glued" are often exactly where the blood flows in the wrong direction, that is, in places where the structures of the heart are the wrong structure. bacterial endocarditis - a serious illness, which, however, it is easy to prevent. Scientists have proved that all the microbes into the blood during surgery on the teeth and upper respiratory tract.
Therefore, if a person with heart disease need to remove a tooth, treat root canals, making the operation of the mouth or nose, it necessarily prescribe a short course of antibiotics. This prevention is applied to and for some time after the correction of heart disease.
Unfortunately, often even doctors believe that a child with a heart defect in any manifestations of SARS should be prescribed an antibiotic, but ignore prevention with, say, the intervention on the teeth. When the common cold and cough antibiotics should be administered on the same principles as all other children.
Also you will be interested to read: Top 5 products that are useful for the heart
