Posted on Feb 16, 2008
Dextrocardia is believed to occur in 1 in 10,000 births
Dextrocardia is a rare congenital condition (from birth) in which the heart is on the right-hand side of the body instead of the left. This is a rare condition. If the heart has developed normally, it does not pose any problems and no treatment will be necessary. Congenital heart defects can, however, in some rare cases accompany dextrocardia. In people with dextrocardia, other organs can also be in the reverse position, like the abdom
Posted on Feb 16, 2008
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) occurs when heart muscle cells are abnormal or damaged. Overall, it is quite rare in children. In many cases, DCM is genetic, that is, passed from parent to child through the chromosomes. Other less frequent causes include infection of the heart (such as viral myocarditis), endocrine (gland) problems, metabolic diseases, some chemotherapy drugs, and muscular dystrophy. In some children, the cause cannot be found.
Posted on Feb 16, 2008
The heart in this defect has four chambers and four valves.
In double outlet right ventricle, there is a large hole in the wall between the two pumping chambers called a ventricular septal defect (VSD). This allows the red and blue blood to mix. In addition, the body's two biggest arteries (the aorta and the pulmonary artery) both originate in the right ventricle. In a normal heart only the pulmonary artery comes out of the right ventricle. How the baby grows, feeds, and whether or not the b