Coarctation of the aorta
Coarctation of the aorta is a congenital heart abnormality in
which narrowing occurs in the largest blood vessel leading away from the
heart. This abnormality occurs in
approximately 1 in every 5000 live births and represents about 5 to 8 percent of all
cases of congenital heart disease.
Symptoms of the
abnormality
Symptoms can include high blood pressure in the upper
body, especially the right arm, and weak pulses in the lower body, especially in
the legs. If the narrowing is tight, symptoms can occur in the first days or
weeks of life. Since a tight coarctation creates extra work for the baby's heart
pump, the pump may may fail. Symptoms of heart failure include fast breathing,
cough, chest congestion, poor weight gain, fast heart rate and poor feeding.
Treatment
Surgical repair is done shortly after
the baby's heart failure is brought under control with medication. When there
are no other associated heart defects, repair of the coarctation is a
closed-heart procedure. Coarctation that is repaired early in life can result in
a lifelong cure.