CHD Information

What is a CHD?

Congenital Heart Defects are defects and/or disease in the heart present at birth. Although defect and disease are used interchangeably the term defect seems to be more accurate as the heart ailment is an abnormality. A defect occurs when the heart or blood vessels near the heart don't develop normally before birth.

Some common defects include*
  • Aortic Valve Stenosis
  • Atrial Septal Defect (ASD)
  • Coarctation of the Aorta (CoA)
  • Complete Atrioventricular Canal Defect (CAVC)
  • Transposition of the Great Arteries (TGA)
  • Ebstein's Anomaly
  • Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS)
  • Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA)
  • Pulmonary Atresia
  • Pulmonary Valve Stenosis
  • Single Ventricle Defects
  • Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF)
  • Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection (TAPVC)
  • Tricuspid Atresia
  • Trucus Arteriosus
  • Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD)

Did You Know?

  • 1 in 100 babies are born with a CHD
  • More babies with CHD die each year than from all forms of childhood cancers combined
  • CHDs are the #1 cause of birth defect related deaths in babies younger than 1 year old
  • More than half of children with CHDs will need at least one invasive surgery in their life
  • CHDers need lifelong care from pediatric and congenital heart cardiologists
  • Come CHDs are not diagnosed until adulthood


*This is not a full list of heart defects.

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