Congenital heart defects are leading cause of infant and newborn death, yet often go undetected
Three out of five women who have given birth to a child with a congenital heart defect (CHD) -- the number-one birth defect and leading killer of infants and newborns -- were never tested for the defect during pregnancy. This is according to a survey just released by Little Hearts, Inc., a national organization that provides support, education, resources, networking and hope to families affected by congenital heart defects.
These findings come just as CHD Awareness Week begins (Feb. 7 – 14). The Little Hearts survey found that 60 percent of parents did not know their child had a CHD until after giving birth -- because the mothers were not tested for heart defects during pregnancy.
Of these parents, nearly three out of four (71.6 percent) wished they had known their child had a CHD during pregnancy -- mostly because they would have given birth at a hospital more equipped to handle the care of newborns with a CHD (41.6 percent).
"Congenital heart defects kill more children than childhood cancer, and yet, pregnant women are not routinely tested -- and newborns are not routinely screened -- for this defect," says Lenore Cameron, President and Executive Director, Little Hearts, Inc. "Early detection is absolutely critical to the successful treatment of congenital heart defects and, in countless cases, it saves lives."
Foresight is 20/20
Those families that did know their child had a CHD before giving birth (40.0 percent) reaped tremendous benefits from knowing in advance: