Cardiovascular physiology, pathology, and clinical investigation

Abstract

Congenital heart defects (CHD) are a heterogeneous entity, representing the most common malformations in the fetal and neonatal period. The incidence of moderate to severe structural CHD that will require expert cardiologic care is 2.5 to 3 per 1000 live births. Moderately severe forms of CHD probably account for another 3 per 1000 live births. Specialised cardiologic care is not needed for most minor forms of CHD, such as tiny ventricular septal defect (VSD) or atrial septal defect (ASD) [1]. Most infants with congenital heart disease are identified by the end of neonatal period.