Heart Defects

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Heart Defects
Heart defects affect approximately 8 out of every 1,000 infants and symptoms can range from mild to severe. The cause of any type of congenital heart defect is unknown, though some are associated with developmental problems, such as Down Syndrome. Heart defects usually happen when the heart begins to develop during the first few weeks of pregnancy. Diagonosing a heart defect is a complicated process, sometimes, with upscale technology, a heart defect can be diagnosed in utero by an echocardiogram. Most defects however are diagnosed once the baby is born. Jack was diagnosed at 12 weeks (in utero), the earliest any baby has been diagnosed with the type of defect he has.The following is a list of a few possible heart defects, though there are many more: (In order to really undersand these, you need to learn how the heart works-- go home!)
These are just a few of the pictures of Jack since his birth.

Heart Defects

Atrial Septal Defect- a hole in the Septum; the wall that separates the left from the right atrium
Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome- the entire left side of the heart is undeveloped and unable to pump blood to the body
Ventricular Septal Defect- a hole in the septum; the wall that separates the left and right ventricle
Tricuspid Atresia- the tricsupid valve is replaced by a membrane that does not allow blood to flow through
Aortic Stenosis- the aortic valve stiffens and only has a narrowed opening, which does not allow blood to pump out into the body
Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) - the ductus arteriosus is a normal blood vessel in a fetus that directs blood away from the lungs (because they are not used in utero) and sends it to the body. After birth, this vessel is supposed to close but when it doesn't, too much blood flows to the baby's lungs.
Pulmonary Atresia- the pulmonic valve does not open or may be totally under developed