Presentation and management of congenital heart disease in the first year of age

Abstract

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is defined as a structural abnormality of the heart or large intrathoracic vessels. They constitute the most frequent congenital malformation at birth. At least one third of patients require some type of intervention before the year of age. The clinical manifestations of heart disease in the neonatal stage are presented with a wide clinical context and can be confused with problems at the pulmonary or infectious level making difficult to diagnose them and thereby contributing significantly to the mortality and morbility of these patients since the diagnosis is delayed and timely handling. Pulse oximetry monitoring in the neonatal period is currently used as a diagnostic method for the detection of critical congenital heart disease. Although it detects them early, in many countries it is not yet carried out. The objective of this article is to offer an overview of the clinical presentation, diagnostic aspect, and initial management of CHD in the first year of age that may be useful to first contact physicians to improve the management of this group of patients.