Question: What are the symptoms of Congenital Heart Defects ?
Answer: Many congenital heart defects cause few or no signs and symptoms. A doctor may not even detect signs of a heart defect during a physical exam. Some heart defects do cause signs and symptoms. They depend on the number, type, and severity of the defects. Severe defects can cause signs and symptoms, usually in newborns. These signs and symptoms may include: Rapid breathing Cyanosis (a bluish tint to the skin, lips, and fingernails) Fatigue (tiredness) Poor blood circulation Congenital heart defects don't cause chest pain or other painful symptoms. Heart defects can cause heart murmurs (extra or unusual sounds heard during a heartbeat). Doctors can hear heart murmurs using a stethoscope. However, not all murmurs are signs of congenital heart defects. Many healthy children have heart murmurs. Normal growth and development depend on a normal workload for the heart and normal flow of oxygen-rich blood to all parts of the body. Babies who have congenital heart defects may have cyanosis and tire easily while feeding. As a result, they may not gain weight or grow as they should. Older children who have congenital heart defects may get tired easily or short of breath during physical activity. Many types of congenital heart defects cause the heart to work harder than it should. With severe defects, this can lead to heart failure. Heart failure is a condition in which the heart can't pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. Symptoms of heart failure include: Shortness of breath or trouble breathing Fatigue with physical activity A buildup of blood and fluid in the lungs Swelling in the ankles, feet, legs, abdomen, and veins in the neck
Source: NHLBI

Question: How to diagnose Congenital Heart Defects ?
Answer: Severe congenital heart defects generally are diagnosed during pregnancy or soon after birth. Less severe defects often aren't diagnosed until children are older. Minor defects often have no signs or symptoms. Doctors may diagnose them based on results from a physical exam and tests done for another reason. Specialists Involved Pediatric cardiologists are doctors who specialize in the care of babies and children who have heart problems. Cardiac surgeons are specialists who repair heart defects using surgery. Physical Exam During a physical exam, the doctor will: Listen to your child's heart and lungs with a stethoscope Look for signs of a heart defect, such as cyanosis (a bluish tint to the skin, lips, or fingernails), shortness of breath, rapid breathing, delayed growth, or signs of heart failure Diagnostic Tests Echocardiography Echocardiography (echo) is a painless test that uses sound waves to create a moving picture of the heart. During the test, the sound waves (called ultrasound) bounce off the structures of the heart. A computer converts the sound waves into pictures on a screen. Echo allows the doctor to clearly see any problem with the way the heart is formed or the way it's working. Echo is an important test for both diagnosing a heart problem and following the problem over time. The test can show problems with the heart's structure and how the heart is reacting to those problems. Echo will help your child's cardiologist decide if and when treatment is needed. During pregnancy, if your doctor suspects that your baby has a congenital heart defect, fetal echo can be done. This test uses sound waves to create a picture of the baby's heart while the baby is still in the womb. Fetal echo usually is done at about 18 to 22 weeks of pregnancy. If your child is diagnosed with a congenital heart defect before birth, your doctor can plan treatment before the baby is born. EKG (Electrocardiogram) An EKG is a simple, painless test that records the heart's electrical activity. The test shows how fast the heart is beating and its rhythm (steady or irregular). An EKG also records the strength and timing of electrical signals as they pass through the heart. An EKG can detect if one of the heart's chambers is enlarged, which can help diagnose a heart problem. Chest X Ray A chest x ray is a painless test that creates pictures of the structures in the chest, such as the heart and lungs. This test can show whether the heart is enlarged. It also can show whether the lungs have extra blood flow or extra fluid, a sign of heart failure. Pulse Oximetry For this test, a small sensor is attached to a finger or toe (like an adhesive bandage). The sensor gives an estimate of how much oxygen is in the blood. Cardiac Catheterization During cardiac catheterization (KATH-e-ter-ih-ZA-shun), a thin, flexible tube called a catheter is put into a vein in the arm, groin (upper thigh), or neck. The tube is threaded to the heart. Special dye is injected through the catheter into a blood vessel or one of the hearts chambers. The dye allows the doctor to see blood flowing through the heart and blood vessels on an x-ray image. The doctor also can use cardiac catheterization to measure the pressure and oxygen level inside the heart chambers and blood vessels. This can help the doctor figure out whether blood is mixing between the two sides of the heart. Cardiac catheterization also is used to repair some heart defects.
Source: NHLBI

Question: What are the treatments for Congenital Heart Defects ?
Answer: Although many children who have congenital heart defects don't need treatment, some do. Doctors repair congenital heart defects with catheter procedures or surgery. Sometimes doctors combine catheter and surgical procedures to repair complex heart defects, which may involve several kinds of defects. The treatment your child receives depends on the type and severity of his or her heart defect. Other factors include your child's age, size, and general health. Some children who have complex congenital heart defects may need several catheter or surgical procedures over a period of years, or they may need to take medicines for years. Catheter Procedures Catheter procedures are much easier on patients than surgery. They involve only a needle puncture in the skin where the catheter (thin, flexible tube) is inserted into a vein or an artery. Doctors don't have to surgically open the chest or operate directly on the heart to repair the defect(s). This means that recovery may be easier and quicker. The use of catheter procedures has increased a lot in the past 20 years. They have become the preferred way to repair many simple heart defects, such as atrial septal defect (ASD) and pulmonary valve stenosis. For ASD repair, the doctor inserts a catheter into a vein in the groin (upper thigh). He or she threads the tube to the heart's septum. A device made up of two small disks or an umbrella-like device is attached to the catheter. When the catheter reaches the septum, the device is pushed out of the catheter. The device is placed so that it plugs the hole between the atria. Its secured in place and the catheter is withdrawn from the body. Within 6 months, normal tissue grows in and over the device. The closure device does not need to be replaced as the child grows. For pulmonary valve stenosis, the doctor inserts a catheter into a vein and threads it to the hearts pulmonary valve. A tiny balloon at the end of the catheter is quickly inflated to push apart the leaflets, or "doors," of the valve. Then, the balloon is deflated and the catheter and ballon are withdrawn. This procedure can be used to repair any narrowed valve in the heart. To help guide the catheter, doctors often use echocardiography (echo), transesophageal (tranz-ih-sof-uh-JEE-ul) echo (TEE), and coronary angiography (an-jee-OG-rah-fee). TEE is a special type of echo that takes pictures of the heart through the esophagus. The esophagus is the passage leading from the mouth to the stomach. Doctors also use TEE to examine complex heart defects. Surgery A child may need open-heart surgery if his or her heart defect can't be fixed using a catheter procedure. Sometimes one surgery can repair the defect completely. If that's not possible, the child may need more surgeries over months or years to fix the problem. Cardiac surgeons may use open-heart surgery to: Close holes in the heart with stitches or a patch Repair or replace heart valves Widen arteries or openings to heart valves Repair complex defects, such as problems with the location of blood vessels near the heart or how they are formed Rarely, babies are born with multiple defects that are too complex to repair. These babies may need heart transplants. In this procedure, the child's heart is replaced with a healthy heart from a deceased child. The heart has been donated by the deceased childs family.
Source: NHLBI