Congenital heart disease in children

Congenital heart disease (CHD), or congenital heart defects as the conditions are often described, affects 1% of live births each year, equivalent to up to 9 in every 1000 babies born in the UK (Knowles and Hunter, 2014). A recent study by Nisselrooj et al (2020) identified that CHD is frequently missed during prenatal screening, and this can impact on morbidity and mortality. In their study, over half of the diagnosed CHD cases were not detected prior to birth. Sometimes evidence of poor circulation is apparent during the newborn examination or later in the first few months of life. This includes mottling of the skin, blueish tinge around the lips, clubbing of the fingers and poor weight gain (Hinton and Ware, 2017).

Children who are diagnosed with a congenital heart defect may require several surgical procedures, numerous hospital admissions and many years of medication. On the other hand, however, some families may have little need for medical or nursing input. Many children with CHD will live with complications related to their condition, including learning difficulties (NHS website, 2018a). Sadly, the mortality rate for children with CHD is high, accounting for 12% of all child deaths (Knowles and Hunter, 2014).