dance cardio workout

On 1 December 2002 I had little exposure to heart disease however only 10 days later was at the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) bedside of our newborn baby who required lifesaving open heart surgery.

Whilst many diseases are extremely well known
the following are little known facts:
• Heart defects are present in 1 in 100 babies
• Heart disease in children is the leading cause of childhood death in Australia accounting for 30% of all child deaths.
• Nearly twice as many children die of congenital heart disease compared to all childhood cancers
• In 80% of cases the cause is largely unknown.

The amazing thing is how far medicine and surgery has progressed to allow a second chance for many babies like ours that only 20 years ago would not have survived.

Whilst there is a myriad of different abnormalities that can occur
our newborn baby required reconstruction for a coarctation of the aortic arch
reconstruction of both the aortic and mitral valves and closing of a Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD).

The mitral and aortic valves were narrow and the anatomy of the valves was somewhat different to what they should have been. Whilst the aortic valve reconstruction was quite successful
the mitral valve is far more complex and following surgery the gradient across the valve was still high thus leaving our baby with mitral valve stenosis (narrowing of the valve).

This particular surgery took 5.5 hours and the stakes were high – a one in ten or 10% chance that our son would not survive.

Following surgery the next 24 hours is seen as a vital period where if problems are going to be encountered
this is likely to be the period. This is not to say that post 24 hours means everything is fine and dandy. Recovery in our case was slow with a further ten days in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit for weaning off the ventilator which assists and at times initiates breathing
as well as waiting for the heart to ‘settle’ so that pacemakers and other medications are no longer necessary.

Much of the recovery period is “trial and error” or more like careful monitoring and adjustment as necessary. For example following heart surgery patients are fluid restricted to assist the work the heart has to do thus attempting to prevent the build up of fluids leading to heart failure. On the other side of this coin however is that a patient can then end up dehydrated.

It is hard to know whether advance knowledge of a heart condition in an unborn baby would be better than the shock we experienced with diagnosis two days after the birth of our child. Either way it is an enormously stressful process that in our case did not and has not ended with the surgery following birth. In many instances further surgery is required
for us another reconstruction of the mitral valve at two years of age and further surgery is expected with ultimate replacement of the mitral valve with an artificial valve.

The unknown throughout our process and in many cases is when the next surgery will be required. For these cases
families of babies
toddlers and children go from day to day
week to week
month to month
and sometimes year to year before the next call to surgery comes.

For all those in a similar situation our thoughts and prayers go out to you. For anyone interested
the amazing story in relation to the ongoing saga with our son can be found at http://www.beatinghearts4kids.blogspot.com .

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in most developed countries around the world
and the number of cases is rising constantly as a result of both modern lifestyles and increased overall longevity. While developing the condition can have a devastating impact on the sufferer's life
modern medicine has developed several effective treatments for heart disease
ranging from drugs and lifestyle improvements right through to surgery.

Of course
prevention is always better than cure
so before we look at some of the symptoms of cardiac disease we'll look at some of the ways you can help your body ward off the risks.

Living a healthy lifestyle can go a long way to reducing the chances of developing cardiac problems
but there is unfortunately an element of inherited risk
so even those with excellent overall health may find that they're genetically programmed towards heart disease in later life. Thankfully
the greatest influence genetics has on heart disease is that of making us more susceptible to certain causes
and with careful adjustments of our lifestyles we can greatly improve our prospects of avoiding it.

The two most deadly contributors to cardiac problems are smoking and obesity. Both of these can raise blood pressure to dangerous levels
putting extra strain on the heart. Smoking causes the build up of fatty deposits within the arteries
also causing circulation problems. Being overweight also tends to mean that a healthy diet is not being followed
and so the body may well be short of essential minerals and nutriments that the heart needs to keep on functioning healthily.

Stopping smoking and other unhealthy practices such as excessive drinking
along with improving diet and taking up exercise to reduce weight can go a long way towards averting problems.

The symptoms of a developing heart problem can be both subtle and dramatic. Unfortunately
many of the symptoms can also signify other less dangerous conditions
and so a diagnosis of heart disease is often made later than it could have been. If you come across more than one of the symptoms below
then a trip to your doctor is highly advisable.

Breathlessness when engaged in physical exercise is normal to some extent for almost everyone
but if you find you're becoming breathless more and more easily then this is a clear sign that your general fitness levels aren't all they could be
and that your heart may be struggling under the pressure.

Palpitations
that is a heavily or unevenly beating heart
can be a sign of anxiety or can come on after extreme exercise
but if neither of these situations apply then heart problems could well be the culprit.

A tingling feeling in bodily extremities such as fingers
toes or lips is often a sign that your cirulation system isn't delivering enough oxygen
again a sign of possible heart problems. Should your extremeities go on to develop a blueish colour then this is certainly not a good sign
and medical attention should be sought at once.

The final and most obvious sign of cardiac problems is a feeling of tightness or pain in the chest
a condition known as angina. If you feel chest pain with any regularity
even if not particularly severely
a medical check up is advisable to make sure you catch any problems as early as possible. Angina can be controlled very well by medication in many cases
and doesn't necessarily have to develop into full-blown heart disease.

In summary
living a healthy lifestyle while keeping an eye out for the symptoms will greatly reduce the risk of your life being devastated by heart disease.