Fetal Heart Disease

According to the Texas Heart Institute, the heart of a fetus in the womb is different than that of a newborn baby. The heart of a fetus is developing throughout the gestation period within the mother’s womb, and small errors can occur during this development which can lead to fetal heart disease.

Origin

• The fetus begins developing its heart shortly after conception, but the circulatory system of the fetus is not used until after birth. The Fetal Treatment Center explains the fetal heart develops from a tube-like structure that bends and folds as it grows and develops. The final result of the fetal heart development is the development of a muscle made up of four chambers, four valves and a group of arteries and veins that surround the heart. As the heart develops, it is common for problems to occur in the heart.

Types

• The Fetal Treatment Center reports fetal congenital heart disease is an abnormality of the heart of a fetus. Heart defects of a fetus can be of a structural nature, such as the narrowing of a valve that can interfere with the development of the heart. A second type affects heart function. Heart function problems are described by the Fetal Treatment Center as including the ability of the heart to fill and pump blood around the body. These problems can be difficult to solve after the birth of a child.

Diagnosis

• According to the American Heart Association, a pregnant woman whose pregnancy is described as at risk by medical staff is usually given a fetal echocardiograph to examine the structure of the heart of the fetus. The basic structure of a fetal heart can be monitored during a regularly scheduled scan, but in some cases a more detailed study of the heart may be required. Although the heart begins to develop soon after birth, the structure of a fetal heart cannot be studied in detail until the fourteenth week of gestation using sound waves through the mother’s vagina. It is also possible to gain a detailed study of the fetal heart using echocardiography after eighteen weeks through the mother’s abdomen.

Risks

• The American Heart Association explains there are a number of pregnancies described as at risk of resulting in fetal heart disease. These include a family history of congenital heart disease. A fetus may become at risk because of an abnormal heart rate or an abnormality discovered during a routine ultrasound scan. A fetal echocardiograph may be ordered to monitor the development of a fetal heart when a problem is discovered in another organ system.

Treatment

• The Fetal Treatment Center explains the majority of fetal heart defects can be treated with medications and surgery after the birth of the baby. However, in some cases it is necessary for medical staff to intervene in the pregnancy to carry out surgical procedures on the baby in the womb to ensure the correction of severe cases of fetal heart disease.