Born each year about 5000 children in Ukraine with congenital heart disease. Timely diagnosis and proper treatment is given 95% of the children a chance at a full life, but unfortunately, they can not take advantage of all.
A quarter of babies with critical congenital heart disease in Ukraine are discharged from the hospital without even suspected diagnosis. For children, it means only one thing: half of them die at home. Because critical, that is, those that require immediate intervention, heart defects - the cause of 30% of newborn deaths.
Accordingly, the duty of every parent - know what signs to pay attention to, and when to sound the alarm. Although most of the symptoms of congenital heart disease does not manifest itself in the early hours and sometimes even days, the baby life attentive parent can still notice the signs, which should cause an immediate visit to the children's cardiologist. So:
Heart failure
If a tiny little heart is difficult to cope with the work, which is charged with - to pump blood and ensure the work of the body - you will notice increased sweating, rapid heart rate and pallor. It is a sign of a diseased heart, not only in adults but also in children.
Shortness of breath and fatigue
Scarce tires quickly during suckling, take frequent breaks, he gets off his breath and need to rest to gather strength? It is better to go to the doctor.
Poor weight gain
Your baby in the first month of life scored less than 400 grams? This is another reason to think about the additional examination by a cardiologist. It is often congenital defect interferes with the normal physical development of the crumbs.
Cyanosis (cyanosis of skin)
Have you noticed that the baby turning blue heels, lips and the skin under the nails? This is another sign of heart disease. So can occur because mixed arterial venous oxygen-poor blood (color close to purple). Cyanosis may be evident and pronounced, and may be barely noticeable.
Tachycardia
Listen pulse and heartbeat of the child: in the first year of the norm - 140 beats per minute. If the heart pounding more often, you should alert and double-check their fear of a specialist.
Of course, all these features are not necessarily indicative of congenital heart defects in your baby, but prevention and timely examination did not hurt either. After all, the truth, it is better to prevent than to deal with its consequences.
"Congenital heart disease is important not only to determine the time, but also provide first aid to a child", - says the child heart surgeon, MD and the chief doctor of the Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery them. NM Amosov Sergey O. Siromaha, - "Do not expect that he is her" grow. " This really happens, but rarely, and it is not necessary at this particular hope. After all, most or child dies before the year, or becomes inoperable, which then also leads to death. Then all the criticisms to themselves, not to the doctors who tried to persuade, convince operate. "I am afraid", "sorry for the child", "expensive" - all this is not fiction, and quotes from the sad book of broken children's fates and lives lost. "
Dozens of children who have to save the need for costly and often financially unbearable for their families heart surgery - it is a picture of us at the charity fund "Your support," we see every day. It is therefore not the first year support children with socially disadvantaged groups and pay all the necessary medicines and medical supplies to doctors were able to save their lives.
In Ukraine, there is a very good doctor who will be able to operate at the needs and treat a child with a heart defect, and now it's up to you - be careful and responsible parents. In fact, often, only you can see the smallest changes in the behavior and well-being of their child. Do not let anything to chance. Believe me, it is better once again show the crumbs doctor or go to the US than to lose precious time.
Let your kids be healthy!
And be sure to ask about What is hemolytic disease of the newborn and what you need to know about it
