Blog
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Congenital Heart Disease Prevention
Congenital heart disease is a type of heart abnormality that affects the normal processes of the heart valves, walls, and vessels. Typically present at birth, heart defects range from simple to severe, even causing long-term issues into adulthood. Congenital heart disease symptoms can take a serious toll on the well-being of your newborn and family….
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The VAD Life – One ACHDer Shares Her Experience with a Ventricular Assist Device
After an extended hospital stay, Carol was still waiting for a heart. Her care team had a plan to get her home while she waited with the help of a ventricular assist device. Learn more about the device and Carol’s journey on the bridge to transplant. A Ventricular Assist Device, more commonly known as a…
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CHD Facts
Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are problems with the heart’s structure. They are those that are present at birth. Common examples include holes in the inside walls of the heart, as well as narrowed or leaky valves. In severe forms of CHDs, blood vessels or heart chambers may be missing, poorly formed, or in the wrong…
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Is congenital heart disease genetic?
Congenital heart disease (CHD) is one of the most common congenital anomalies that exist in newborn babies. Cardiac malformations are not only produced in experimental animal models but in humans as well. This is done by perturbing selected molecules that function in the developmental pathways involved in myocyte specification. Long story short, it is genetic,…
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That’s a Wrap on Heart Month 2022!
Heart Month 2022 is over, but our work to conquer the most common birth defect is not. Let’s look back at a month of coming together as a community, of awareness, hope, the sometimes hard realities, and raising our resounding #CHDVoice as one. As most of us within the CHD community know, February is about…
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In the Spirit of Sankofa
Dr. Josephine Isabel-Jones and Dr. Brenda Armstrong paved the way for generations to continue the legacy these women began in an era that tried to hold them back. As Black History Month comes to a close, Dr. Annette Ansong introduces us to these pioneers in the field of Pediatric Cardiology. In the Ghanaian language of…
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Dear Bereaved Family, From Your Bedside Nurse…
Bereaved families can often feel alone in their grief – feeling like the world keeps turning while their world has stopped. It may feel like the care team for your loved one goes right back to business as usual after a loss, but as this open letter to bereaved families from a bedside nurse illustrates,…
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Who Discovered Congenital Heart Disease?
Congenital heart disease impacts a surprising amount of people within the world’s population—but who is responsible for identifying this disease? There are some diseases that have truly detrimental impacts on society, and congenital heart disease is one of them. Though you might not have it yourself, a large number of people have this disease from…
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How Does Congenital Heart Disease Affect the Body?
Congenital heart disease can affect everyone differently. How does it impact individuals who are diagnosed with it? There are plenty of diseases that impact humanity, but congenital heart disease is a condition that impacts children and adults all around the world. While some diseases limit themselves to specific circumstances, others are present at random and…
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Make Some Winter Memories
Baby, it may be cold outside, but there are still memories to be made! The Winter months might seem like a bad time to make plans. The dropping temps and the sloshing snow at first seem daunting. But take a step back and you just might find the beauty of this season is underrated! We asked…
