What Are Congenital Heart Defects? 12 Common Types Of Congenital Heart Disease

Congenital heart defects — heart defects a person is born with — can affect various structures of the heart, including the:

• Valves, which keep the blood flowing in one direction.
• Chambers, which form separate regions of the heart that each have their own function.
• Arteries, which are blood vessels that take blood away from the heart and to the rest of the body.
• Veins, which are blood vessels that take blood back to the heart.

1. Aortic Valve Stenosis (AVS)

AVS is a defect in which the valve that allows blood to flow from the heart to the body is unable to open and close properly. AVS can also cause leakage of blood. Since the blood can’t adequately flow out of the heart, it becomes trapped inside due to a poorly working valve, causing immense pressure to build up in the heart and leading to damage.

2. Atrial Septal Defect (ASD)

ASD is a defect in which there is a hole in the septum, a wall that separates the top two chambers of the heart. This causes oxygen-rich blood to get mixed with oxygen-poor blood. 

3. Coarctation of the Aorta (CoA)

CoA is a defect in which the major artery that leaves the heart to carry blood to the rest of the body (known as the aorta) becomes too narrow. This narrowing is detrimental to blood flow, leading to high blood pressure or other damage to the heart.

4. Complete Atrioventricular Canal defect (CAVC)

CAVC is a defect in which there is a large hole in the center of the heart. CAVC affects all four chamber of the heart that would otherwise be divided. This causes the blood that is located in the oxygen-rich part of the heart to get mixed in with the oxygen-poor part of the heart.

5. d-Transposition of the great arteries

This defect occurs when the two main arteries that carry blood away from the heart are in reverse positions. Essentially, the normal pattern of blood flow is that it first goes from the body to the heart, then to the lungs, then back to the heart and then to the rest of the body. This cycle continues our whole lives. In people with d-Transposition of the great arteries, the pathway is reversed since the two arteries are connected to different parts of the heart. Therefore, in this case, either the blood from the body doesn’t go the lungs and goes back to the body, or blood goes to the lungs continuously and doesn’t go to the rest of the body. The only treatment is surgery.

6. Ebstein's Anomaly

Ebstein's anomaly refers to a defect in which a heart valve is not formed properly. Therefore, the blood flow does not move in the correct direction. This causes blood to leak from the lower chamber to the upper chamber in the right part of the heart. This is also seen in patients with ASD.

7. I-transposition of the great arteries

Similar to d-transposition of the great arteries, I-transposition of the great arteries is a defect in which the arteries are reversed. Fortunately, I-transposition of the great arteries is less severe because essentially, the whole heart is reversed. In fact, the lower section of the heart is fully reversed, leading to a complete reversal of regular blood flow. Since it’s a double-reversal, people with the defect are still able to get oxygen-rich blood from the lungs to the body and the lungs still receive oxygen-poor blood.

8. Patent Ductus Arteriosis (PDA)

PDA is a birth defect that causes a hole in the aorta, the main blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. A fetal heart does not need blood to go the lungs to obtain oxygen, because there is a hole called ductus arteriosis that lets oxygen come into the blood. The hole normally closes once a baby is born. When the hole doesn’t close, it is called a PDA.

9. Pulmonary Valve Stenosis

Pulmonary valve stenosis is a defect in which a heart valve is either thickened or fused and therefore does not fully open. The pulmonary valve allows the blood to flow away from the heart, into the pulmonary arteries and into to the lungs.

10. Tetralogy of Fallot

This is a heart defect in which there are four problems:

• A hole between the lower two regions of the heart.
• Impaired blood flow from the heart to the lungs.
• The aorta is placed over the hole in the lower chambers of the heart.
• The muscle around the lower part of the heart is very thick.

11. Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD)

VSD is a defect in which a hole separates the lower two chambers of the heart. This hole, which is normal during fetal development, should close before birth. When this does not happen, that causes high blood pressure in the heart and reduced oxygen to the rest of the body.

12. Single Ventricle Defects

These are a defects that affect one of the lower chambers of the heart (which can include being smaller, underdeveloped, or missing a valve).  Different types of SVD include hypoplastic left heart syndrome, pulmonary atresia/intact ventricular septum and tricuspid atresia.