Congenital Heart Defect News and Research

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A congenital heart defect is a problem with the structure of the heart. It is present at birth. Congenital heart defects are the most common type of major birth defect.

New study describes how gene-environment interaction leads to congenital heart defects

Infants of mothers with diabetes have a three- to five-fold increased risk of congenital heart defects. Such developmental defects are likely caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

19 Oct 2017

Duke researchers unravel how fever in early pregnancy increases risk for heart, facial birth defects

Researchers have known for decades that fevers in the first trimester of pregnancy increase risk for some heart defects and facial deformities such as cleft lip or palate. Exactly how this happens is unclear. Scientists have debated whether a virus or other infection source causes the defects, or if fever alone is the underlying problem.

10 Oct 2017

Patients who undergo Fontan surgery for congenital heart defect have liver fibrosis risk, study reveals

Patients who undergo the Fontan operation as children for a complex congenital heart defect are at risk of developing progressive liver fibrosis, a buildup of fibrous deposits, as a result of the circulation created by the surgery, according to a new study.

31 May 2017

Study finds two genetic variants linked to bicuspid aortic valve development

Researchers are working to determine why the aortic valve doesn't form correctly in patients with the most common congenital heart defect: bicuspid aortic valve.

25 May 2017

Pitt scientists discover genes responsible for severe congenital heart disease

The first known identification of two genes responsible for hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a severe congenital heart defect, has been reported by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

22 May 2017

ACHD Program at Cincinnati Children's to receive ACHA accreditation

The Adolescent and Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD) Program at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is one of a handful of programs in the nation to be awarded accreditation by the Adult Congenital Heart Association (ACHA).

29 Dec 2016

Clinical study tests adult stem cell therapy for infants with congenital HLHS

In a first-in-children randomized clinical study, medical researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine have begun testing to see whether adult stem cells derived from bone marrow benefit children with the congenital heart defect hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS).

21 Dec 2016

No added benefit proven for pulmonary arterial hypertension drug, IQWiG finds

Selexipag is approved for long-term treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in adults with moderate to severe symptoms.

7 Oct 2016

NYU Lutheran offers comprehensive cardiac care for unborn babies

Caring for an infant begins long before birth. Expectant moms are advised to avoid smoking and drinking, watch what they eat, and follow a host of other recommendations that are in the best interest of themselves and their little one on the way.

11 Aug 2016

Arterial switch to 12 o'clock position linked to myocardial ischaemia risk in adolescence

Arterial switch to the 12 o'clock position is associated with abnormal coronary perfusion in adolescence, reveals research presented today at EuroCMR 2016.1 Babies born with transposition of the great arteries (TGA) undergo the arterial switch operation in the first days of life.

13 May 2016

Boston Children's, Edwards Lifesciences launch new prosthetic heart valve study for congenital heart defect

Surgeons in the Heart Center at Boston Children's Hospital have partnered with Edwards Lifesciences to launch a clinical study of a new prosthetic heart valve for patients born with a congenital heart defect.

17 Mar 2016

New methodology could spare kids from unnecessary heart surgery

What better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than help save a child's heart? That's what Vittoria Flamini, an industry assistant professor in Tandon's Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, has in mind.

15 Feb 2016

TBX5 gene expression could play key role in congenital heart disease

Congenital heart disease is the most common birth defect and the leading cause of all infant deaths in the United States. Mutations in the gene TBX5 have been shown to cause both rare and more prevalent forms of congenital heart disease, yet the underlying mechanisms have remained unclear.

9 Feb 2016

Cornell researchers discover natural triggers that may reduce congenital heart defects among newborns

Cornell biomedical engineers have discovered natural triggers that could reduce the chance of life-threatening, congenital heart defects among newborn infants. Those triggers can override developmental, biological miscues, leading to proper embryonic heart and valve formation.

5 Jan 2016

Preeclampsia during pregnancy linked to heart defects in infants

Pregnant women with preeclampsia have a higher risk of delivering an infant with a congenital heart defect. An extensive study of 1.9 million mother and infant pairs by a team at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre has shown significant association between these diseases in mothers and newborns from early pregnancy.

22 Oct 2015

Children's Hospital Los Angeles successfully implants Melody Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve in child actor

Cardiologists from Children's Hospital Los Angeles successfully implanted a Melody Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve in child actor Max Page, the boy who made headlines playing mini Darth Vader in a 2011 Super Bowl ad for Volkswagen.

28 Aug 2015

Arterial shunt in hybrid palliation better for hypoplastic left heart syndrome treatment

Children born with the major congenital heart defect hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) often must undergo a series of corrective surgeries beginning at birth. While most have the standard three-stage Norwood procedure, a hybrid strategy has been introduced to offset some disadvantages associated with the Norwood surgeries. In a report in The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, investigators compare whether outcomes can be improved if an arterial shunt is used as a source of pulmonary blood flow rather than the more conventional venous shunt as part of the hybrid strategy of HLHS surgical reconstruction.

14 Aug 2015

Certain metabolites in the blood could predict clinical outcome in children undergoing heart surgery

The study, published today in the journal Critical Care Medicine and carried out at Royal Brompton Hospital, followed children undergoing surgery for congenital heart disease, and found that by analysing metabolites in the blood -- molecules created as a result of metabolism -- it was possible to predict a child's clinical outcome.

6 May 2015

Older mothers who exercise during pregnancy can reduce baby's risk of congenital heart defects

In people, a baby's risk of congenital heart defects is associated with the age of the mother. Risk goes up with increasing age. Newborn mice predisposed to heart defects because of genetic mutations show the same age association.

2 Apr 2015

3D printed heart models to aid doctors plan for complex ops'

A team of doctors at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center are exploring new avenues to improve surgical preparations and patient care. The hospital recently partnered with the University of Cincinnati’s College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS) to produce a 3D printed heart model of a patient with a rare, life-threatening heart condition. 3D printed anatomical models derived from patient scans enable doctors to “practice” surgery in advance and assess possible complications for delicate procedures, improving the outcome of operations.

19 Mar 2015