Cardiac Conditions in Children
It’s not just adults who experience heart disease. Children can experience a variety of heart conditions, including heart valve disorders, arrhythmias and single ventricle defects. Some heart conditions can actually be diagnosed during pregnancy with a prenatal echocardiogram.
What is a Heart Murmur?
A heart murmur is one of the most common reasons kids are sent to a pediatrician or a pediatric cardiologist. Some people think it means there’s a hole in the heart, or a skipped beat, but a heart murmur ’s not a diagnosis—it’s a sound. Most heart murmurs represent normal blood flow in otherwise healthy children.
A heart murmur will often be picked up at a routine health appointment. A common scenario is during a viral illness—particularly one that is associated with a fever. If the heart murmur is found to be associated with heart disease, there may be treatment required. Many forms of heart disease don’t require any treatment at all.
Cardiac Ablation in Children
Arrhythmias are much more common in adults, but young people can also get them. Ablation is a procedure that is aimed at correcting an arrhythmia. Once the doctor understands the electrical system of the child’s heart, the surgeons can usually invoke the abnormal heart rhythm and use a specialized catheter to either heat or freeze the abnormal tissue, ablating the arrhythmia.
Ablation is usually done as an outpatient procedure and carries a very high success rate: over 95 percent for some types of arrhythmia. The recovery after an ablation is usually quite quick, and children are usually discharged on the same day. In a small group of patients, the arrhythmia can come back and a second procedure might be necessary.
Prenatal Cardiac Screening
A fetal echocardiogram is an ultrasound exam that focuses specifically on the fetus’ heart. It is performed by placing a special camera called a transducer on the mom’s abdomen—very similar to an obstetrical ultrasound. A woman may be referred for an echocardiogram because the screening ultrasound has detected something that’s abnormal, or the heart isn’t clearly visible on the screening ultrasound. There may be specific risk factors, such as a family history of congenital heart disease.
A pediatric cardiologist reviews the images to look at the structure, function and electrical conduction system of the heart to make a diagnosis. A pediatric cardiologist and a pediatric cardiology nurse will sit down with the family and explain the findings. Establishing a diagnosis allows both the family and the medical team to make important decisions: decisions about the pregnancy, and decisions about how baby will be managed after birth.
Talk to your healthcare provider if you'd like more information on heart murmurs in children, ablation or prenatal cardiac screening.
Visit HealthChoicesFirst.com for more videos and resources on heart health.
Print this Action Plan and check off items that you want to discuss with your healthcare provider
-
A heart murmur is one of the most common reasons kids are sent to a pediatrician or a pediatric cardiologist. A heart murmur will often be picked up at a routine health appointment.
-
Arrhythmias are much more common in adults, but young people can also get them. Ablation is a procedure that is aimed at correcting an arrhythmia. Once the doctor understands the electrical system of the child’s heart, the surgeons can usually invoke the abnormal heart rhythm and use a specialized catheter to either heat or freeze the abnormal tissue, ablating the arrhythmia.
-
A fetal echocardiogram is an ultrasound exam that focuses specifically on the fetus’ heart. It is performed by placing a special camera called a transducer on the mom’s abdomen—very similar to an obstetrical ultrasound.
-
Ablation is usually done as an outpatient procedure and carries a very high success rate: over 95 percent for some types of arrhythmia. The recovery after an ablation is usually quite quick, and children are usually discharged on the same day.
-
A heart murmur will often be picked up at a routine health appointment. A common scenario is during a viral illness—particularly one that is associated with a fever. If the heart murmur is found to be associated with heart disease, there may be treatment required.
Cardiac Conditions
Cardiac Testing
Cardiac Treatments
Cardiac Conditions in Children
Knowledge is Power.
True/False - Quiz: Do You Understand Cardiac Conditions in Children?
Action Plan - Cardiac Conditions in Children
It’s not just adults who experience heart disease. Children can experience a variety of heart conditions, including heart valve disorders, arrhythmias and single ventricle defects. Some heart conditions can actually be diagnosed during pregnancy with a prenatal echocardiogram.
What is a Heart Murmur?
A heart murmur is one of the most common reasons kids are sent to a pediatrician or a pediatric cardiologist. Some people think it means there’s a hole in the heart, or a skipped beat, but a heart murmur ’s not a diagnosis—it’s a sound. Most heart murmurs represent normal blood flow in otherwise healthy children.
A heart murmur will often be picked up at a routine health appointment. A common scenario is during a viral illness—particularly one that is associated with a fever. If the heart murmur is found to be associated with heart disease, there may be treatment required. Many forms of heart disease don’t require any treatment at all.
Cardiac Ablation in Children
Arrhythmias are much more common in adults, but young people can also get them. Ablation is a procedure that is aimed at correcting an arrhythmia. Once the doctor understands the electrical system of the child’s heart, the surgeons can usually invoke the abnormal heart rhythm and use a specialized catheter to either heat or freeze the abnormal tissue, ablating the arrhythmia.
Ablation is usually done as an outpatient procedure and carries a very high success rate: over 95 percent for some types of arrhythmia. The recovery after an ablation is usually quite quick, and children are usually discharged on the same day. In a small group of patients, the arrhythmia can come back and a second procedure might be necessary.
Prenatal Cardiac Screening
A fetal echocardiogram is an ultrasound exam that focuses specifically on the fetus’ heart. It is performed by placing a special camera called a transducer on the mom’s abdomen—very similar to an obstetrical ultrasound. A woman may be referred for an echocardiogram because the screening ultrasound has detected something that’s abnormal, or the heart isn’t clearly visible on the screening ultrasound. There may be specific risk factors, such as a family history of congenital heart disease.
A pediatric cardiologist reviews the images to look at the structure, function and electrical conduction system of the heart to make a diagnosis. A pediatric cardiologist and a pediatric cardiology nurse will sit down with the family and explain the findings. Establishing a diagnosis allows both the family and the medical team to make important decisions: decisions about the pregnancy, and decisions about how baby will be managed after birth.
Talk to your healthcare provider if you'd like more information on heart murmurs in children, ablation or prenatal cardiac screening.
Visit HealthChoicesFirst.com for more videos and resources on heart health.
Print this Action Plan and check off items that you want to discuss with your healthcare provider
-
A heart murmur is one of the most common reasons kids are sent to a pediatrician or a pediatric cardiologist. A heart murmur will often be picked up at a routine health appointment.
-
Arrhythmias are much more common in adults, but young people can also get them. Ablation is a procedure that is aimed at correcting an arrhythmia. Once the doctor understands the electrical system of the child’s heart, the surgeons can usually invoke the abnormal heart rhythm and use a specialized catheter to either heat or freeze the abnormal tissue, ablating the arrhythmia.
-
A fetal echocardiogram is an ultrasound exam that focuses specifically on the fetus’ heart. It is performed by placing a special camera called a transducer on the mom’s abdomen—very similar to an obstetrical ultrasound.
-
Ablation is usually done as an outpatient procedure and carries a very high success rate: over 95 percent for some types of arrhythmia. The recovery after an ablation is usually quite quick, and children are usually discharged on the same day.
-
A heart murmur will often be picked up at a routine health appointment. A common scenario is during a viral illness—particularly one that is associated with a fever. If the heart murmur is found to be associated with heart disease, there may be treatment required.