General approach to cyanotic congenital heart disease

Abstract

Objective: To describe the predominant characteristics and diagnostic methods of some congenital heart diseases, including: Aortic Stenosis (AS), Ebstein's Anomaly (EA), Interatrial Communication (IC) and Tetralogy of Fallot (TF). Bibliographic review: Congenital heart disease is defined by the presence of structural and functional alterations in the heart, existing since birth and originated in embryonic development. These are classified into cyanotic and acyanotic, in which the presence or absence of cyanosis points to other clinical manifestations specific to each subgroup. Since in acyanotic cases, the compromised patient has dyspnea, cough and expectoration, while in cyanotic patients, brain abscess is often seen. Final considerations: Early diagnosis, sometimes performed in the prenatal period and through fetal ultrasonography, becomes essential for a better quality of life and minimization of harm in individuals who have this pathological group. Since the surgical procedure or clinical intervention in patients affected by this anomaly generally needs to take place in the first year of life. The main complications are presented in the inefficiency of the corporal blood circulation, pulmonary alterations, inappetence and polycythemia, therefore correct diagnosis and therapeutic measures need to be carried out in order to obtain a better prognosis.