What is Congenital Heart Disease?
“Congenital” simply means present from birth. The heart forms in the first two months of pregnancy, and if something in that formation does not complete perfectly, the baby is born with a structural difference in the heart.
The commonest type by far is a hole between two chambers (dil me chhed). The wall that should separate the two sides of the heart has a gap in it, so blood leaks from one side to the other. The three you will hear named most often are ASD (atrial septal defect — a hole in the upper chambers), VSD (ventricular septal defect — a hole in the lower chambers), and PDA (patent ductus arteriosus — a small blood vessel that should have closed at birth but stayed open). Doctors call these a structural heart defect, but for a family it is simply a birth defect of the heart that can be checked with a painless child Echo test.
Think of the heart as a house with two sides and a wall in the middle. The right side sends blood to the lungs to collect oxygen. The left side pumps that oxygen-rich blood out to the body. If there is a gap in the dividing wall, blood keeps leaking back to the wrong side and going round the lungs again and again. The lungs and the heart both end up doing extra work for no benefit — and over the years, that extra work is what causes the damage.
Why is it sometimes found only in adulthood?
This surprises many families, and it is completely normal. A small or medium-sized hole often causes no symptom at all in childhood. The child grows, plays, studies and passes every school check-up. The heart quietly compensates for the extra work for twenty or thirty years.
Symptoms appear when the heart can no longer compensate — usually as breathlessness, repeated chest infections, or a rhythm problem in the thirties or forties. Sometimes it is found during a routine echo done for another reason, or during a pregnancy check-up. Being diagnosed as an adult does not mean anything was missed or done wrong. It simply means the hole was small enough to stay quiet.
What Causes Congenital Heart Defects?
This is the first question every parent asks, and it deserves an honest answer. In most cases, no specific cause is ever found — and it is nobody’s fault. These are the factors that are known to raise the risk.
You can control these
- Diabetes in the mother that was not well controlled during early pregnancy
- Certain infections during the first three months of pregnancy, especially rubella — which is why vaccination before pregnancy matters
- Alcohol or tobacco use during pregnancy
- Some medicines taken in early pregnancy without medical advice — always check before taking any tablet while pregnant
- Lack of folic acid before and during early pregnancy
- Untreated thyroid problems in the mother
You cannot control these
- In most cases, no cause is ever identified — this is the honest and commonest answer
- A genetic or chromosomal condition, such as Down syndrome
- A congenital heart defect in a parent or an earlier child
- Marriage between close blood relatives, which slightly raises the risk
- Increasing age of the mother
Please hear this clearly: in the large majority of cases, nothing the mother did or did not do caused this. Blaming yourself helps nobody, and the treatment today is very good.
What Are the Signs of Congenital Heart Disease?
Congenital heart disease symptoms depend entirely on the size of the hole. A small hole may give no sign for decades. A large one shows itself in infancy, which is why a baby heart problem is often first noticed during feeding.
Heart defect in a newborn, baby or young child
- Getting tired or breathless while feeding, taking long pauses, or sweating on the forehead during a feed — this is one of the earliest and most reliable signs in an infant.
- Poor weight gain despite feeding normally
- Fast or laboured breathing, even at rest
- Repeated chest infections and pneumonia
- Bluish tinge on the lips, tongue or fingertips
- A heart murmur in a child, heard by the doctor during a routine check-up
- In older children — getting breathless sooner than other children while playing, and squatting down to rest
In adults, the picture is different. A hole found in adulthood usually shows up as breathlessness on exertion that has been slowly worsening, repeated chest infections, palpitations, or unexplained tiredness. Many adults describe it as simply "not being able to keep up" with people the same age.
Emergency signs — do not wait, call now
For a child with a known heart defect, these need urgent attention.
- Deep blue colour on lips or face, or a sudden blue spell
- Severe breathing difficulty, with the chest sinking in with each breath
- The child becoming unusually drowsy or floppy
- Refusing feeds completely, in an infant
- Fainting or a seizure
- Continuous fever for over a week in a child with a known heart defect
How Is Congenital Heart Disease Diagnosed?
A congenital heart defect test is painless and mostly uses ultrasound — a pediatric heart checkup usually starts with an echo and an ECG. Nothing here should worry a parent — the child stays awake and comfortable for almost all of them.
2D Echocardiography
The main test. An ultrasound that shows the hole, its exact size and position, and which way blood is leaking. Gel on the chest and a probe moved over it — nothing enters the body.
Read about 2D EchoChild Echo Test: Adult & Pediatric Echo
Pediatric echocardiography — the same test adapted for children, done gently and at the child’s pace. Small children may be given mild sedation so they stay still, which is entirely routine.
Read about Pediatric EchoTEE (Transesophageal Echo)
A closer view from behind the heart, used to measure the hole precisely before a device closure. The throat is numbed and sedation is given.
Read about TEEECG
Shows whether the extra work has enlarged a chamber or upset the heart’s rhythm. Quick, painless and done first in almost every case.
Read about ECGChest X-Ray
Shows the size of the heart and how much blood is flowing to the lungs. A single quick image.
All diagnostic testsCardiac Catheterisation
Done only when pressures inside the heart and lungs must be measured directly before deciding on treatment. A thin tube is passed from the leg under sedation.
Read about CatheterisationCongenital Heart Defect Treatment: Does Every Hole Need Closing?
No. Many small holes close on their own, and some never need any treatment at all. The decision depends on the size of the hole, how much blood is leaking, and whether the heart or lungs are being affected.
Watchful follow-up — for small holes
Many small VSDs close by themselves in the first few years of life. A small ASD that is not straining the heart may never need closing. In these cases the right treatment is a regular echo at the interval your doctor advises, and letting the child live a completely normal life. No restrictions, no daily medicines.
Medicines — to support the heart while waiting
If a child is breathless or not gaining weight, medicines can remove excess fluid and reduce the load on the heart. This is a bridge — it makes the child comfortable and helps them grow until they are ready for a procedure, but it does not close the hole.
Device closure — closing the hole without surgery
For most ASDs and PDAs, and many suitable VSDs, the hole can be closed through a thin tube passed from a vein in the leg. A small umbrella-shaped device is opened inside the hole and seals it permanently. There is no cut on the chest and no heart-lung machine. Most patients go home in a day or two.
Open-heart surgery — when the anatomy needs it
Some holes are too large, sit too close to a valve, or have an unsuitable shape for a device. In those cases surgical closure gives the better lifelong result, and we will tell you so clearly and refer you. Being honest about this matters more than doing our own procedure.
Lifelong follow-up — after any treatment
After a hole is closed, the child or adult still needs periodic review. This is to confirm the device stayed in place, watch the rhythm, and check the heart chambers have returned to normal size. These visits become less frequent over time.
What parents most want to hear, honestly: a child whose hole has been correctly closed usually goes on to live a completely normal life — school, sports, marriage, work, pregnancy. Timing matters, which is why the follow-up echoes are important. But a congenital heart defect found and treated properly is not a life sentence.
Congenital Heart Procedures Available in Raipur
All of these are done in our Cath Lab through a small puncture in the leg, without opening the chest.
ASD Device Closure
A hole between the upper chambers is sealed with a small device delivered through a vein in the leg. One of the most successful non-surgical heart procedures.
Learn moreVSD Device Closure
Closes a suitable hole between the lower chambers without surgery. Position and size decide whether a device is possible.
Learn morePDA Device Closure
Closes a small vessel that should have shut naturally at birth. Usually a short procedure with quick recovery.
Learn moreBalloon Pulmonary Valvotomy
Opens a pulmonary valve that has been narrow since birth, using a balloon. No chest cut.
Learn moreTEE-Guided Device Sizing
Detailed imaging from behind the heart so the closure device is exactly the right size and sits correctly.
Learn moreCardiac Catheterisation
Measures pressures inside the heart and lungs directly, when that is needed before deciding on treatment.
Learn moreWhy Choose Prathmesh for Congenital Heart Disease Treatment in Raipur
Device closure is a precision procedure. Sizing, imaging and experience decide the outcome.
DM Cardiology consultants
Your child’s echo is read and the device placed by the senior consultant himself, not delegated to junior staff.
Device closure done in-house
ASD, VSD and PDA closure performed here, so families from across Chhattisgarh do not have to travel to another state.
TEE-guided accuracy
Imaging from behind the heart during the procedure, so the device is exactly the right size and sits securely.
Honest advice on timing
If the hole is small and may close on its own, we will tell you to wait and re-check rather than push a procedure.
Calm handling of children
Tests are done gently and at the child’s pace. Parents are told what is happening at every step, in plain language.
Lifelong follow-up close to home
Follow-up after device closure continues for years. Having it in Raipur makes it far easier for a family to keep up.
Who Will Treat You
Your case is handled directly by one of our senior cardiologists. You can read their full profile before your visit.
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Dr. Gaurav Tripathi
Performs ASD, VSD and PDA device closure and other structural heart procedures, with TEE-guided device sizing.
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Dr. Sulabh Chandrakar
Handles assessment of congenital defects, medical management, rhythm problems and long-term follow-up after closure.
Questions Patients Ask Us Most
Congenital heart disease is a heart problem present from birth, because a part of the heart did not form completely during the first months of pregnancy. The commonest type is a hole between two chambers, such as an ASD, VSD or PDA. Some are found in babies, while smaller ones may stay silent until adulthood.
In most cases no specific cause is ever found, and it is nobody’s fault. Known risk factors include uncontrolled diabetes or certain infections such as rubella in early pregnancy, some medicines taken without advice, genetic conditions such as Down syndrome, and a heart defect in a parent or earlier child. Nothing a mother did or did not do is usually the reason.
In a baby, the earliest signs are tiring or sweating during feeds, poor weight gain, fast breathing, repeated chest infections or a bluish tinge on the lips. Older children may get breathless sooner than friends while playing. Adults usually notice slowly worsening breathlessness, palpitations or tiredness. A small hole may give no sign at all.
The main test is an echocardiogram, a painless ultrasound of the heart that shows the hole, its size and which way blood is leaking. An ECG and chest X-ray are usually added. Before a device closure, a TEE gives a closer view, and occasionally a catheterisation is needed to measure pressures directly.
Yes. Many small holes close on their own or never need treatment, and only need a periodic echo. Most ASDs and PDAs, and many suitable VSDs, can be closed with a device through a vein in the leg, without opening the chest. Holes with an unsuitable shape or position are referred for surgery, and even adults diagnosed in their thirties or forties can usually be treated well.
Not every murmur means a heart defect — many are harmless sounds of normal blood flow in a growing child. But a murmur heard for the first time, or one with symptoms such as poor feeding, poor weight gain or breathlessness, should be checked with an echo. It is painless, takes about twenty minutes and gives a clear answer.
A child should be seen if a doctor hears a murmur, if a baby tires or sweats while feeding, does not gain weight, breathes fast, or has a bluish tinge on the lips. Repeated chest infections, fainting, or getting breathless much sooner than other children are also reasons. A blue spell or severe breathing difficulty needs emergency care straight away.
Yes. Some defects can be seen before birth with a fetal echo done during pregnancy, and many are picked up in infancy when a doctor hears a murmur. A simple echo at any age confirms or rules out a hole. Early detection lets the doctor choose the right time for closure, before the heart or lungs are strained.
Many small VSDs do close by themselves, usually in the first few years of life. Small PDAs often close in the first weeks. ASDs are less likely to close on their own but a small one may never cause any problem. A repeat echo at the interval your cardiologist advises will confirm it.
No. There is no cut on the chest and no heart-lung machine. A thin tube is passed from a vein in the leg up to the heart, and a small device is opened inside the hole to seal it. Most patients go home in a day or two, with only a small mark at the leg.
The cost depends mainly on the device used, which is chosen by the size and position of the hole. Government health schemes and most insurance policies cover congenital heart procedures, and several schemes specifically support children’s heart treatment. We will give you a written estimate and help with the paperwork before anything is planned.