CCHD (Critical Congenital Heart Defects)

Critical Congenital Heart Disease (CCHD) is a term that refers to a group of serious heart defects that are present from birth. Babies with a critical CHD need surgery or other procedures in the first year of life.

About 1 in every 4 babies born with a heart defect have a critical congenital heart defect also known as CCHD. (cdc.gov)

About 7,200 newborns in the United States are diagnosed with CCHD each year. (Ghr)

Each of the heart defects associated with CCHD affect the flow of blood into, out of, or through the heart. People with CCHD have one or more specific heart defects.

In most cases, the cause of CCHD is unknown.

•Coarctation of the Aorta- is a birth defect in which a part of the aorta, the tube that carries oxygen-rich blood to the body, is narrower than usual. (cdc.gov)

•Double-Outlet Right Ventricle- (DeMarcus’s form of CHD) DORV is a rare congenital heart defect. In DORV, the pulmonary artery and the aorta, the heart’s two major arteries both connect to the right ventricle. Another heart condition called a ventricular septal defect (VSD) always occurs with DORV. This is a hole in the tissue wall (septum) that normally separates the right and left ventricles. (Children’s Hospital)

•Dextro-Transposition-of the Great Arteries or d-TGA- is a birth defect of the heart in which the two main arteries carrying blood out of the heart – the main pulmonary artery and the aorta – are switched in position, or “transposed.” (cdc.gov)

•Ebstein Anomaly- is a rare heart defect your tricuspid valve, the valve between the two right heart chambers (right atrium and right ventricle) doesn't work properly. The tricuspid valve sits lower than normal in the right ventricle, and the tricuspid valve leaflets are abnormally formed. (Mayoclinic)

•Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome- (most babies diagnosed with CCHD have some variation of this form) is a birth defect that affects normal blood flow through the heart. (cdc.gov)

•Interrupted Aortic Arch- is a very rare heart defect in which there is the absence or discontinuation of a portion of the aortic arch.

 There are three types of interrupted aortic arch, and they are classified according to the site of the interruption:

· Type A: The interruption occurs just beyond the left subclavian artery. Approximately 30 percent to 40 percent of the infants with interrupted aortic arch have type A.

·  Type B (diagram): The interruption occurs between the left carotid artery and the left subclavian artery. Type B is the most common form of interrupted aortic arch. It accounts for about 53 percent of reported cases.

·  Type C: The interruption occurs between the innominate artery and the left carotid artery. Type C is the least common form of interrupted aortic arch, accounting for about 4 percent of reported cases. (CincinnatiChildrens).

•Pulmonary Atresia (with intact septum)-is a birth defect of the heart where the valve that controls blood flow from the heart to the lungs doesn’t form at all. In babies with this defect, blood has trouble flowing to the lungs to pick up oxygen for the body. (cdc.gov)

•Single Ventricle- is a defect in which the heart has only one ventricle that is large enough or strong enough to pump effectively. (Chop)

•Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return (TAPVR) or Connection (TAPVC)- is a birth defect of the heart in which the veins bringing blood back from the lungs pulmonary veins don’t connect to the left atrium like usual. Instead they go to the heart by way of an abnormal (anomalous) connection. (cdc.gov)

•Tetralogy of Fallot- is a rare condition caused by a combination of four heart defects that are present at birth. (VSD, pulmonary stenosis, aortic valves opens from both ventricles, ventricular hypertrophy) These defects, which affect the structure of the heart, cause oxygen-poor blood to flow out of the heart and to the rest of the body. Infants and children with Tetralogy of Fallot usually have blue-tinged skin because their blood doesn't carry enough oxygen. (Mayoclinic)

•Tricuspid atresia- is a birth defect of the heart where the valve that controls blood flow from the right upper chamber of the heart to the right lower chamber of the heart doesn’t form at all. In babies with this defect, blood can’t flow correctly through the heart and to the rest of the body. (cdc.gov)

•Truncus arteriosus- also known as Common Truncus, is a rare defect of the heart in which a single common blood vessel comes out of the heart, instead of the usual two vessels (the main pulmonary artery and aorta). (cdc.gov)