How are congenital heart defects treated?

Throughout the world about 20 percent of infants die due to congenital heart defects. In India, about 58 percent cases of new born babies especially between the ages of 0 to 5 years are with congenital heart disease.

Congenital heart defects:

Congenital heart defect is the major and very common type of birth defects seen in children. It is a condition which involves the structural defect of the heart during the time of the birth. Walls of the heart, valves of the heart and the arteries and veins located near the heart are involved in the defects. Due to this the normal flow of the blood is interrupted.  

Diagnostic procedures for congenital heart defects:

For the diagnosis of congenital heart defects, the doctors perform certain physical examination and some heart tests. The defects can be found during the pregnancy or soon after birth of the baby.

Physical examination:

Ø  Physical examination includes listening to the heart and lung of the baby by using stethoscope.

Ø  Check if the colour of the skin, nail and lips of the baby shows any blue coloured shade.

Ø  Shortness of breath or rapid breathing is common.

Ø  Delay in growth is a hallmark of congenital heart disease.

Diagnostic tests:

Ø  Echocardiography

Ø  EKG (Electrocardiogram)

Ø  Chest X Ray

Ø  Pulse Oximetry

Ø  Cardiac Catheterization

Treatment for congenital heart defects:

Many children do not require treatment for congenital heart defects, but in severe conditions the treatment is a must.

Different factors for providing an appropriate treatment:

Treatment differs from one child to another child, it completely depends upon the following:

·         Severity of the condition

·         Age

·         Weight

·         Height

·         General health condition

The doctors treat the patients by providing a combination of surgical procedures. In case of severe heart defect, the doctor may perform several catheter or surgical procedure during the first year of life. Some children are recommended to take medications for long term.

Treatment involving catheter procedure:

Catheter procedure is easier than that of a surgery. This procedure involves the insertion of catheter into the vein or an artery. This procedure doesn’t involve opening of heart for treating the defects. Since past 20 years, the use of this procedure has been increasing. Some heart defects like atrialseptal defect (ASD) and pulmonary valve stenosis can be treated easily by using this method.

In the treatment of atrial septal defect (ASD), the doctor places the catheter attached with a small device in the vein near the area of upper thigh. The tube runs along the way towards the heart septum. The device gets pushed out of catheter once the catheter reaches the septum. When the device is secured in the place, the catheter is taken out from the body. The normal tissue grows within 6 months and the device doesn’t need to be replaced.

Surgical treatment:

When the heart defects cannot be fixed by using a catheter, then the doctors opt for a surgery. It is an open-heart surgery, which fixes the defect completely. If the defects are not fixed completely, then repeated surgeries are performed.

The surgery might be done for the following reasons:

·         Close the hole present in the heart

·         Restore or change the heart valve

·         Enlarge the arteries

·         Change the complex defects

Babies born with multiple defects undergo transplantation of heart, where the damaged heart is replaced with a new and healthy heart of the donor.

Way to live with congenital heart defect:

ü  Children with congenital heart defects are able to live a normal life. However, routine checkup is very important as they grow up.

ü  The child should comply to the prescribed medicines.

ü  Regular dental checkup helps the child to avoid the risk of infective endocarditis, because children with severe heart defects have a higher risk of developing infective endocarditis.

ü  Collect all the medical records and information of the child which includes diagnosis, underwent surgeries or procedures, medications, regular medical follow up recommendations, health insurance.

ü  Consult a dietician regarding the healthy nutrition of your child.

ü  Discuss about the emotional status of your child with their doctor.

ü  Women with any kind of heart defects should consult a doctor before pregnancy.

An Overview of Organ Transplantation

Transplantation is a process that involves the transfer of human cells, tissues, or organs from the donor to a recipient. Organ transplantation is a surgical procedure which involves the removal of the damaged or injured organ from the recipient and replacement with a new functioning one. The different types of organ transplantation are heart, liver, lungs, kidney, intestine, and pancreas.

Go on reading to find out the types of organ transplant, organ donors, and its types.

·         Heart transplant: Heart is the hardest working muscle, which pumps blood throughout the body. People with heart diseases such as coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy or weakening of heart muscle may need a heart transplant.

·         Kidneytransplant: Kidney’s function is to remove wastes from the body, filter the blood, control the electrolyte balance, and regulate blood pressure. Kidney transplant becomes necessary due to inherited kidney disease such as polycystic kidney disease. Diabetes and high blood pressure are also common cause of the kidney failure which makes transplantation necessary.

·         Livertransplant: The liver functions to break down harmful substances, detoxify the body, and production of bile for digestion. Any viral infection, genetic disorders or even alcoholism may result in liver failure which leads to the necessity of liver transplantation (the diseased liver is removed and replaced with a healthy one).

·         Lung transplant: A person can live a normal life, if the lung functions at least 30 percent. People with severe lung diseases such cystic fibrosis, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and emphysema in advanced stages may require lung transplant.

·         Pancreas transplant: The pancreas is a gland located just behind the stomach. It produces juice or enzymes that help in the breakdown of food. It also releases the hormone, insulin that helps to control blood sugar levels. People who have pancreas-related problems such as pancreatitis or inflammation of the pancreas, genetic disorder, cystic fibrosis, and pancreatic cancer may require pancreas transplant.

·         Intestine transplant: This kind of transplant is rare and is usually done in combination with liver, stomach, and pancreas. People who have short bowel syndrome (caused by lack of function of the small intestine) may need an intestine transplant.

Organ donation is a process that involves the donation of organs to a living recipient (who is in need of a transplant). There are two types of organ donors such as:

·         Living donor- The living donor is the  person decides to donate his or her organ to the person who in need of a transplant. Living donors have to undergo some medical testing as suggested by the doctors to be selected as the suitable donor.

·         Deceased donor- Deceased donors are those whose organs are harvested once they become brain-dead. For this type of transplant, the recipient has to wait till the suitable organ based on the recipient medical profile is available.

After removing the organ from the body, it is stored in a chemical solution. Before transplantation, the donated organ would be stored under controlled conditions, depending upon the varying time length of the organ such as a heart for 4-6 hours, liver for 12-24 hours, kidneys for 48-72 hours, and lung for 4-6 hours. 

Before organ transplant, the doctor would suggests some medical test for checking the medical compatibility with donor.

The doctor would suggest taking some precautions after the surgery such as:

·         To avoid taking certain foods

·         To limit alcohol consumption and smoking

The doctor would suggest follow-up check-up to monitor the proper functioning of the organ. The person may lead a normal and healthy lifestyle after the organ transplant.

How Does Diabetes Lead To Heart Disease?

If you are a diabetic, then you should be cautious of heart diseases. People with diabetes are more prone to heart diseases when compared to the people without diabetes. Diabetes is one of the major risk factors for developing heart diseases.

Some statistics shows that about 68 percent of people with the age of 65 years or older who have diabetes tend to die of heart disease and about 16 percent of people die due to stroke. Having said that, diabetes is one of the seven preventable risk factors for developing many heart diseases, and can be managed with maintaining a proper level of blood glucose and blood cholesterol.

Heart disease:

Heart disease refers to a number of conditions which affects the heart and cause a drastic change in the normal functioning of heart.

Various types of heart diseases: Any change in the heart either it may be a structural change or a functional change leads to various types of heart disease.

·         High blood pressure (hypertension)

·         Angina

·         Coronary artery disease (Atherosclerosis)

·         Myocardial infarction (Heart attack)

·         Cardiac arrest

·         Congestive heart failure

Diabetes:

Diabetes mellitus is a cluster of metabolic conditions which is caused due to the increased amount of glucose in the blood (blood sugar), which may occur due to the decreased production of insulin or may be due to the resistance towards insulin.

Types of Diabetes:

·         Type 1 diabetes also known as insulin dependent diabetes mellitus

·         Type 2 diabetes also known as non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus

·         Prediabetes

·         Gestational diabetes

In Type 1 diabetes mellitus, the pancreas produces only a little amount of insulin or no insulin at all due to the destruction of beta cells.

In Type 2 diabetes mellitus, there may be a resistance towards the insulin, leading to reduced intake of glucose by the cells.

Prediabetes is a reversible diabetic condition which is caused due to the elevation of glucose levels in blood. It is also called as borderline diabetes.

Gestational diabetes is a condition due to increased glucose levels in blood during pregnancy. The condition usually disappears after the delivery.

Connection between Diabetes and Heart disease:

In a person with normal blood vessel, the flow of blood is continuous and smooth due to the presences of nitrous oxide (NO). The nitrous oxide in blood vessel prevents the cells from sticking to the walls of blood vessel.

In type 2 diabetes, due to insulin resistance, the  nitrous oxide mechanism gets lost. In diabetic condition, the high levels of glucose, triglycerides and fatty acids in blood lead to plaque formation. This formation of plaque is a major reason for causing coronary artery disease or arthrosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis, causes stiffening of blood vessels, increasing the force of blood flow on the arterial walls, which leads to hypertension. Hypertension is a major risk factor for other heart related diseases like damage of blood vessels, stroke and heart attack.

Tips for a diabetic patient to avoid heart diseases:

ü  Visit your physician regularly and get your blood glucose level and blood pressure levels checked.

ü  Try to maintain a normal blood glucose level.

ü  Maintain a normal blood pressure, the blood pressure shouldn’t exceed above 130/80 mmHg.

ü  Drinking alcohol worsens diabetes and also leads to various heart diseases.

ü  Say no to smoking.

ü  Have a diet rich in fibers, it helps in controlling the level of blood glucose.

ü  Stay away from foods high in calories and fats.

ü  Don’t consume sugary foods.

ü  Eat fish instead of red meat.

ü  Make a habit of meditating daily.

ü  Have a walk and perform all kind of physical activities which are good for health.

ü  If you are overweight, try to lose weight and maintain a healthy BMI (Body mass index).

ü  Limit the intake of salt, and consume it as recommended by your physician.

Best Exercises To Reduce Belly Fat

Everyone is looking for ways to tackle the problem of belly fat. Belly fat can be persistent and even if you are otherwise slim you might be finding it difficult to get rid of belly fat. Fortunately there are exercises that can help you shed the excess fat and regain a trim, toned body.

Start with the basics

Don’t neglect basic workouts. You can start walking, running, swimming, or cycling to give the muscles a workout. If you like sports you can go for tennis or other sports that need plenty of muscle power. This helps burn excess calories and keeps away the flab from the body. Never underestimate the power of brisk walks. Walking can boost the muscles and get you on your way to a fun workout. If you walk for an hour daily, your heart will work extra hard to shed flab and this includes flab on the belly.

Focus on all muscles

Experts suggest that instead of working out only the abdominal muscles you should go for a workout routine that will stretch all the muscles. This includes muscles in your legs and arms, shoulders, back, and other areas of the body. This will make the entire body more adept at burning fat and so, fat will not accumulate at the belly.

Lifting weights

Many women are afraid to work with weights because of the misconception that it bulks up the muscles too much. Fortunately in recent years this misconception has been put to rest. When you lift weights, it strengthens the muscles. Also, it can add more bone density and this will prevent brittle bones in women later on. Also, when you have a muscular build, depending on the amount of weight training you do, you will feel that you fit better into your clothing and look good in whatever you wear.

Crunches

Crunches are great for working the muscles on the abdomen. Also, make sure you start slow, so that your muscles have time to build strength, before you start aiming for more ambitious styles of working out. It is a good idea to do some sideways crunches because then it can give all muscles of the abdomen a workout.

Sit ups

Sit ups are also good for working out the abdominal muscles. This exercise will work on the muscle that also supports the back. If you are prone to back pain, then you need to talk to your doctor or trainer before start any kind of program that involves the back muscles.

Leg exercises

When you are focused on your abdomen, you might forget other parts of the body. However, the muscles of your body are connected, and one muscle often plays different roles. In particular, some people need to shed flab in the lower part of the abdomen. While the exercises mentioned above will work wonders, your exercise routine remains incomplete without a workout for the legs. This is why it is very important to work on the muscles of the thighs and hips, as this can also lead to reduction in belly fat.