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Hole in the Heart

Hole in the Heart - How to prevent?

Hole in the Heart - Causes and Risk Factors

Hole in the Heart - Treatments

​If The Child Has A Hole In The Heart, What Kind Of Medical Treatments Would The Doctor Recommend?

Not all heart defects need specific treatment. For example, if the child has a small hole in the heart such as a ventricular septal defect, no treatment is necessary. The child should be treated like any normal child and allowed normal physical activities. Most of these holes become smaller with time and some may close spontaneously. There is a small risk of bacterial infection of the area around the hole because of flow turbulence. Patients are advised to have good dental care, and if they were to undergo dental or surgical procedures, to take a prophylactic course of antibiotics to prevent bacteria from seeping into the blood and infecting the heart.

For significant defects, for example a moderate to large ventricular septal defect, the baby can present with heart failure - the signs of which include poor feeding, breathlessness and poor weight gain. We treat these babies with medication. Some improve as the defect becomes smaller over time. Others who do not improve with medical treatment are referred to the heart surgeon to close the defect surgically.

Hole in the Heart - Preparing for surgery

Hole in the Heart - Post-surgery care

The information provided is not intended as medical advice. Terms of use. Information provided by SingHealth

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