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Environmental and genetic factors in fetal development
Technology Advancement
Environmental and genetic factors in fetal development
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In the chance that a fetal heart abnormality does occur, it is important to know the technology out there that some hospitals have to find and treat the defect. Education behind heart defects and how it can be obtained gives a better perspective on the complications health care providers are working with. This will assist the parents in asking the right questions and give a better understanding of the procedures and treatments that need to be done to save the newborn. ………
Technology has come a long ways in fetal cardiac surgery. Surgeons and physicians have been working side by side with engineers to make great strides in detecting cardiac abnormalities, performing in-utero surgery, and surgery after birth. It has given babies a fighting chance at living a normal life. Advancing technology has made it easier to identify abnormalities early on while the heart is still in the process of developing. This now gives the surgeons the option to put new instruments, such as a catheter, at work in making minor adjustments. Yet, in-utero fetal cardio surgery is still not completely dependable because it is a complicated process that is still relatively new to health care.
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Therefore, when there is not much that can be done, parents blame the facility instead of their own lack of care for their child’s abnormality. Yet, this is a post hoc fallacy because it is not the physician that caused the heart abnormality, but rather the environmental and genetic factors the fetus was exposed to. Physicians make a judgement on the best way to cure or minimize the defect. As there are increasing technology, the world still has a long ways to go to completely trace the defect during early gestation and find a
During pregnancy an echocardiogram of the fetus can be done to produce images of the heart by sending ultrasonic sound waves to the vital organ. These sound waves create an image for the physician to analyze the babies heart function, structure sizes, and blood flow. A positive diagnosis before birth has shown to improve chances of survival, and will allow for appropriate care to be readily available at birth. If a baby is born without being diagnosed with the heart defect, some symptoms previous noted such as low oxygen levels can be suggestive of hypoplastic left heart syndrome. The baby may not display any symptoms or signs for hours after birth because of the openings allowing for blood to be pumped to the rest of the body. However, listening to the babies heart can revel a murmur indicating an irregular flow of blood in the heart. If a murmur is heard, or signs of the defect are observed, diagnostic tests will be ordered and performed. An echocardiogram is still the go-to test once the baby is born to evaluate the heart. The echocardiogram will diagnose the newborn, by revealing the underdeveloped left ventricle, mitral and aortic valve, and the ascending aorta commonly seen in
Ventricular septal defects have a long-term excellent prognosis, if the septum’s where completely separated the blood circulation with return to normal; if the heart was enlarged, a more normal size will be reached; the high pulmonary pressure with reside; and if the baby had a stunt of growth, they will usually being to catch up in a year or two. Long-term follow-up is required and continuation of preventative antibiotics is key.
The typical defect that takes place with a human affected is heart problems. In early infancy surgery needs to be taken place to avoid serious issues in the future. Atypica...
When a mother finds out she is pregnant it is a wonderful experience. Most people are excited to see their first “picture” of their baby, the ultrasound. Even more exciting is getting an ultrasound to find out the sex of the baby. But ultrasounds are useful for more than just getting that first image of the fetus or finding out whether it is a boy or a girl. While it is something most parents dread finding out when pregnant, an ultrasound can also detect a birth defect. There are many different birth defects that can be detected by an ultrasound during pregnancy like Spina Bifida, Down syndrome, and abnormalities with the heart and lower urinary tract, and the importance of detecting them with an ultrasound is shown in the benefits of discovering the birth defect early, and the options it gives the parents after discovering the birth defect.
The cardiologists at BCH are looking for a new way to perform the corrective heart surgery. “Performing heart surgery on an infant they need to open the chest and stop their heart. This is an invasive and lengthy procedure that will cause life-threatening complications.” Says Pedro del Nido chief of cardiac surgery at BCH. He has come up with a 3-D tool that provides superior imaging and makes surgery times less. Active research includes “surgical robotics and ultrasound guided intracardiac surgery, myocardial metabolism and myocardial hypertrophy and heart failure, and tissue engineering to stimulate the growth of new tissue to repair congenital defects” at Boston
Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (also called HLHS) is a congenital heart defect occurring during the first 8 weeks of pregnancy which leaves the left side of the heart underdeveloped and small. Normally, the right side flows blood to the lungs where oxygen is enriched before it travels to the heart’s left side while the left side of the heart pumps blood into the aorta which flows oxygen-rich blood to the body. In HLHS, the left side of the heart is not able to pump oxygen-rich blood to the body efficiently because the left ventricle is underdeveloped or small. In this case, the right side of the heart pumps the blood both into the lungs and the rest of the body through the ductus arteriosus and the oxygen-rich blood travels back to the
One in every thirty-three babies is born with a handicap (“Data & Statistics”). The test for birth defects can be done during pregnancy or after the infant is born (“Data and Statistics”). In 2004-2005, the CDC counted 21 diseases as major birth defects (“Data and Statistics”). The list includes: “Central nervous system defects, Eye defects, Cardiovascular defects, Orofacial defects, Gastrointestinal defects, Musculoskeletal defects, and Chromosomal anomalies” (“Data and Statistics”). 20% of infant deaths are caused by birth defects making it the leading cause of all infant deaths (“Data & Statistics”). These defects can happen as a result of a failed abortion or during a pregnancy after an
Tetralogy of Fallot is a critical congenital heart defect that is presented at birth and alters the lives of families around the world. To many, TOF could be seen as inferior to other illnesses and defects due to a lack of comprehension towards the condition itself. Tetralogy of Fallot is an unfamiliar defect caused by a lack of blood flow and inconsistencies in the heart's structure, leading to the “blue baby”. TOF is often detected after an abnormal heart murmur has been picked up during an ultrasound during pregnancy. The key to spreading awareness in any sort is public and communal education. Informing the public on this illness along with many others, that is held amongst many, is important in order to elucidate and bring light to this illness that is jeopardizing a majority of our world's children, such as my son.
The blood that moves through the embryo is in reality more entangled than after the child is conceived (ordinary heart). This is on the grounds that the mother (the placenta) is taking every necessary step that the child's lungs will do after birth.
There are three main ways to monitor fetal well-being, the first being an external cardiotocography (CTG) which continually monitors both fetal heart rate and maternal uterine contractions. (Department of Health 2013) Another external form of fetal monitoring is intermittent auscultation (use of a Doppler) and lastly an internal fetal monitor known as a fetal scalp electrode. This is a wire that is connected to the skin on the fetal scalp; if applied correctly it picks up the heart rate and records the trace onto the CTG paper similar to the external transducer. (Pairman, S. Tracy, S. Thorogood, C, & Pincombe, J 2015) Fetal monitoring is extremely important to limit and/or minimize adverse fetal outcomes. (Department of Health 2013)
CHARGE syndrome, a term describing infants and young children born with severe abnormalities ( British Medical Journal, Vol. 304, No. 6840), occurs in one of about nine to ten thousand births and involves both physical and medical disabilities that differ between different children. In a majority of cases, CHARGE syndrome may not be found in any previous family medical history. Breathing problems and heart defects are examples of some life-threatening birth defects that are associated with CHARGE syndrome. Multiple surgeries and treatments are conducted after staying in hospitals for months; life at home may be hard for the patients if they encounter health issues such as difficulty breathing and swallowing. Delayed development as well as
When taking an ultrasound, parents want to know if their child is healthy or not; finding out that their child has a birth defect pre-birth really affect the parents on how they feel for the child. Parents tend to feel negatively about their child because they want a healthy baby, and it really stresses both spouses out when finding out about having a baby with a birth defect and all the extra work that is required to take care of a baby with a birth defect. A mother that was interviewed had said that she felt very low and depressed after learning that her child had a birth defect
Unlike vaginal birth delivery, the process of a cesarean delivery is quite different, but just as safe as giving vaginal birth (Taylor, 1). When delivering a baby using the cesarean method, there are two ways anesthetic can be used. The women can be put into an unconscious state using the anesthetic, therefore she will be asleep during the entire operation and her coach may not be present. The other way for the anesthetic to be used would be in an epidural or spinal block to temporarily numb the woman from her waist down. In this case the mother will be awake and her coach may be present to give her extra support. Once the anesthetic is working, an incision is made in the abdomen either horizontally or vertically, depending on the reason for the cesarean delivery. A vertical incision is made when the baby is in trouble and needs to be out as quickly as possible, when there is more time the horizontal incision is used. The baby is then lifted out of the uterus and gone for the APGAP procedure. The placenta is then removed and the mother’s reproductive organs are examined before closing the incision (Taylor, 1).
I think it is incredible that we have made such advancements in fetal medicine that surgeons are actually able to perform surgery on a fetus while in utero. Deformities like a cleft lip or pallet are about to be fixed in the womb before the child is even born. The video specifically shows a fetus at 26 weeks who has a hole in his diaphragm. This would cause a problem for him after birth if left unfixed because his intestines would grow into his lung cavity preventing him from being able to breath air outside of the womb. Fortunately with medical advancements, doctors were able to perform a procedure on the fetus where a balloon was placed between his diaphragm and lungs to prevent any obstruction from developing. As soon as the child is born the balloon will be removed and he will likely be able to go on without any difficulty breathing. Having access to this particular fetal procedure has increased survival of newborns with this condition by fifty percent. This is just one of many advancements in fetal medicine. We have also come a long way with premature babies, and micro preemies. Babies born at as early as 24 weeks have a more than fifty percent chance of survival. That is why 24 weeks of pregnancy is often times referred to the viability
When a baby is born prematurely and it has to fight for its survival in order to experience this beautiful world, it really breaks the parents’ hearts. And that’s when an incubator comes to the aid of these babies and one can’t thank this wonderful invention enough! It is extremely encouraging to think of the time when no such device was available for those preemies in great need. Incubators have seen many improvements since and those available today are fully provided with medical equipment necessary for the baby’s survival and growth. They have helped in saving the lives of millions of babies born prematurely around the world. Due to Dr. Couney's great invention now even more scientists take on his legacy, these scientist managed to indeed bring awareness to saving preemies lives and in the process were successful in advancing this part of the medical profession. More than a century ago, one man with a vision took a risk to save