Types of congenital heart disease

Patent ductus arteriosus

The opening of a passageway or temporary blood vessel to carry blood away from the heart to the aorta before birth. This allows blood to go around the lungs which are not yet used. The ductus should close suddenly in the first few hours or days after birth. When it does not close in the newborn, the blood that is supposed to flow through the aorta goes to the lungs. This disease is common is premature infants but rare in full-term infants.

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome

A condition in which the left side of the heart is not fully developed. This condition is rare but is the most serious of CHD. The blood reaches the aorta, which pumps blood throughout the entire body, only from one ductus. This normally closes within a few days of birth. With this syndrome, the infant seems normal at birth, but as the ductus closes, blood cannot circulate through the aorta and the rest of the body resulting in cyanosis.

Obstruction defects

Heart valves, arteries, and veins become completely or partially blocked when they are narrowing. The most common obstructions are pulmonary valve stenosis, aortic valve stenosis, and coarctation of the aorta. Bicuspid aortic valve and subaortic stenosis are rare. Stenosis is narrowing of valves and arteries. In pulmonary stenosis, the valve does not open making the right ventricle to become overworked. In aortic steosis, the aortic valve is not formed right and making the valve to narrow. The left ventricle becomes enlarged as it has to work harder to pump blood throughout the body. The aorta is constricted in coarctation of the aorta causing a reduction of blood flow to the lower portion of the body. This causes hypertension in the upper body.

Septal defects

Blood leaks from the left portions of the heart to the right when a baby is born with a hole in the septum. This overflow of blood can cause an enlargement of the heart causing poor circulation. Some common types are atrial septal defect and ventricular septal defect.

Cyanotic defects

Disorders that cause profusion or an insufficient amount of oxyen in the blood pumped throughout the body are called cyanotic defects. Some disorders are truncus arteriosus, total anomalous pulmonary venous return, tetralogy of Fallot, transpositon of the great arteries, and tricuspid atresia. All of these result in bluish-grey discoloration of the skin due to lack of oxygen to the body.

Other defects

Ebstein's anomaly
Brugada syndrome
Marfan syndrome
DiGeorge Syndrome

Source http://www.wikipedia.org