Patient's question:
My baby is a premature child, and I was very worried about the child's condition from the beginning. Recently, the child has appeared with this series of conditions, and I am also very worried, afraid that the child will become worse. How is congenital heart defect treated?Doctor's answer:
Some congenital heart diseases require early surgery; otherwise, the opportunity for good surgical results may be lost. Examples include large ventricular septal defects (VSDs) and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). Due to significant left-to-right shunting, infants with these conditions often experience recurrent pulmonary infections accompanied by heart failure. Simple medication is difficult to control the condition, and they are often accompanied by severe pulmonary hypertension. Therefore, surgery should be completed as early as possible, generally within the first year of life, or even earlier than six months.However, for small to moderate VSDs in children under two years old, if there are no clinical symptoms, minimal electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormalities, and normal growth and development, surgery can be deferred until a follow-up at age two to determine the need for intervention. This is because approximately 30-40% of membranous and muscular VSDs can naturally close with age.