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The role of the heart is to pump blood throughout the body. A normal heart is divided into right and left sides separated by the atrial and ventricular septa or walls. The atria receive the blood from the body (right atrium) or the lungs (left atrium). The blood then flows into the pumping chambers that deliver the blood to the lungs (right ventricle) or the body (left ventricle). The blood picks up oxygen in the lungs and then delivers the oxygen to the body.

Arteries are the blood vessels that take blood away from the heart. Veins are blood vessels returning to the heart.
The four types of valves regulate blood flow through your heart:
* Tricuspid valve: Controls blood flow between the right atrium and right ventricle.
* Pulmonary valve: Controls blood flow from the right ventricle into the pulmonary arteries, which carry blood to your lungs to pick up oxygen.
* Mitral valve: lets oxygen-rich blood from your lungs pass from the left atrium into the left ventricle.
* Aortic valve: opens the way for oxygen-rich blood to pass from the left ventricle into the aorta, your body's largest artery, where it is delivered to the rest of your body.

Left Ventricular Outflow Tract Obstruction
- Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), is due to an underdevelopment of the left side of the heart. This affects the size of the aorta, aortic valve, mitral valve and left ventricle. Babies with this condition need a series of heart surgeries or heart transplantation.
- Aortic Stenosis occurs when the aortic valve does not form properly and is narrowed. The normal aortic valve has 3 leaflets, but a valve with stenosis may have only 1 to 2 leaflets that are thick and stiff.
- Coarctation of the aorta is the term when a portion of the AORTA is narrowed causing obstruction of blood flow to the body. This causes the blood pressure to increase and the left ventricle of the heart is forced to pump harder. Due to this increased stress upon the heart, this abnormality may cause the heart to enlarge.

Heterotaxy
- Dextrocardia is a congenital abnormality in which the heart is not in its usual location on the left side of the body, but is on the right Dextrocardia is associated with a condition called, Situs Inversus, which is the reverse position of many organs.

Charge Syndrome
- A coloboma is a cleft or keyhole-shaped defect occurring in one or more areas of the eye including the iris, retina, or disc
- Atresia of the Choanae is characterized by the closure of the passages from the back of the nose to the throat which allow breathing through the nose.
- Tetralogy of Fallot is comprised of four primary defects within the heart: Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD is characterized by a hole between the right and left ventricles); Pulmonary Stenosis, (the narrowing of the lung valve); displaced aorta; and excessive thickness of the right ventricular wall. As a result, unoxygenated blood flows into general circulation. Because of a decreased blood flow to the lungs, a cyanotic condition is characterized with this syndrome. At birth, some babies fail to show the signs of the cyanosis but later may develop episodes of bluish skin from crying or feeding (called "Tet spells"). Tetralogy of Fallot occurs in approximately 50 out of 100,000 infants. It is the 2nd most common cause of congenital cyanotic heart disease in infants.

- Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD,"Hole in the Heart")

- Ventricular Septal Defect ("Hole in the Heart"):

- Ventricular Septal Defects, VSD are the most common type of congenital heart defect. This defect is characterized by a "hole" present between the right and left ventricles. Because of this hole, blood from the left side of the heart is forced through the opening into the right side of the heart. This leads to increased pressure and flow in lung circulation. The increased pressure puts strain on the heart and can cause the heart to enlarge.

In recent years, there has been rapid growth in understanding the genetic basis for a wide variety of cardiovascular disorders. Research into the molecular basis for genetic cardiac disease is continuously ongoing and applying that knowledge to the clinical setting results in the enhancement of the care patients and their families receive.

CardioGene.org pulls together the latest research and technologies to offer comprehensive, up to date information pretaining to the evaluation, diagnosis, and management for individuals at risk for inherited cardiac disease.

Clinical care is usually required for any heart condition with a known genetic basis. The clinic should also provide diagnostic consultation for patients in which the heart condition is accompanied by other developmental anomalies or birth defects. Common genetic heart disorders include:

Marfan Syndrome
Muscular Dystrophy
Mitochondrial Myopathy
VCFS/DiGeorge Syndrome
Heterotaxy
Noonan Syndrome (Download Checklist)
Turner's Syndrome
Williams Syndrome
Chromosomal Disorders
Disorders of Cardiac Muscle
Disorders of Cardiac Conduction