17.1 Introduction
Learning Objectives
- Differentiate cyanotic and acyanotic congenital heart defects
- Outline nursing responsibilities for infants and children with congenital heart defects
- Explore the process of organ transplantation and associated ethical implications
- Outline the shunts in fetal circulation (ductus venosus, foramen ovale and ductus arteriosus) and how blood flow changes when the baby is born
- Outline priority teaching topics for parents with children with congenital heart defects
Congenital heart defects are structural abnormalities in the heart or blood vessels that are present at birth and affect how blood flows through the heart and out to the rest of the body. Heart defects can vary from mild (such as a small hole in the heart) to severe (such as missing parts of the heart). In the United States, heart defects affect 1% of births annually, or about 40,000 infants. Of those infants born with a heart defect, about 25% have a severe heart defect requiring surgery or other procedures in the first year of life.3 This chapter will review normal fetal and neonatal circulation, discuss common types of congenital heart defects and their treatments, and apply the nursing process to caring for infants with congenital heart defects.
Structural abnormalities in the heart or blood vessels that are present at birth and affect how blood flows through the heart and out to the rest of the body.
