Congenital Heart Defects (CHD) are a lethal constellation of birth defects of the heart that affect millions of newborn infants and children worldwide; a killer that claims thousands of lives every year. Eight of every 1000 children born alive (0.8%) will have some form of congenital heart defect.

A fortunate few, mostly in the developed countries, are cured by the miracles of modern medicine. Sadly, the vast majority do not have access to treatment; they are forced to lead restricted lifestyles, denied the opportunity to become productive and participating members of their communities.

What Is Congenital Heart Disease?

There are two main varieties of heart disease.

Acquired heart diseases are the consequence of indulgence, excess, aging or infection. In the recent past, there has been an encouraging drop in its incidence, thanks to

* increasing knowledge and awareness of the underlying causes
* populations adopting more healthy practices and habits

On the other hand, Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a more or less random event. The mysteries that underlie it still remain unraveled. The incidence of cardiac birth defects has remained constant – at 7 to 8 cases for every 1000 live births – across time and continents.

Congenital Heart Defects (CHD) – A complex issue

Among heart diseases, CHD is unique for a number of reasons:

CHD IS A GROWING PROBLEM

CHD is not a problem that is going away. While other heart diseases are coming under control, the incidence of CHD remains unchanged. If current trends continue, 20 years from today CHD will become the most significant percentage of our heart – and health care – burden.

CHD IS A NEGLECTED PROBLEM

In many countries, patients with CHD live and die untreated. Surgery for heart birth defects emerged as a specialty in its own right only in the early 1980′s. Even today, surgery for CHD accounts for less than 5% of heart operations performed world-wide. Dedicated centers for treating CHD are few and far between.

CHD IS A COSTLY PROBLEM

Most complex birth defects of the heart require multiple procedures for cure. And parents of CHD victims are often young, just starting out in life. Financially insecure, emotionally strained to breaking point, these young families need support and guidance.

CHD IS A LONG TERM PROBLEM

A CHD patient, after treatment, can look forward to living 50 to 80 years more! The path ahead, however, is strewn with obstacles and uncertainties. Late complications; employment and insurance; marriage and children; all are areas of concern.

CHD IS A SILENT PROBLEM

High cholesterol, bypass surgery, angioplasty and gene therapy are the glamorous issues, the media superstars of heart disease. Most of the budget allocations of large organizations are diverted to adult heart disease research. Consequently, funding for research into CHD is scarce.

Neglected, unchallenged, indeed often undetected, CHD pervades communities, affecting the rich and poor alike, in developed as well as backward countries.

Congenital Heart Disease – the burning issues today

Seeing CHD in all its persistent, relentlessly progressive horror, it is obvious that

• the causes of CHD need to be detected, and soon
• the problem needs to be highlighted, brought into the limelight
• medical facilities need to be made accessible to all patients
• CHD families need ongoing constant support
• treatment must be viewed as a long-term continuing process

Congenital Heart Defects Awareness – The Solution?

When one realizes how few resources are presently allocated to achieving these goals, it is apparent that the first steps are to:

* prepare a realistic plan that will assist in diagnosing and treating CHD, while harnessing the power of the Internet as an action-oriented health education and awareness tool

* create a small community-based inter-disciplinary team structure, and encourage interaction and co-operation among these teams, to develop a networked global CHD organization

As one of the support group managers says about the need for enhancing public knowledge of CHD:

“Setting aside a day of remembrance and celebration of the great medical advances which keep our loved ones alive would honor the unseen battle that children and adults with CHD fight daily. The creation of a day of this kind would help to lift the barrier of ignorance, helping both the families and individuals who currently are affected by Childhood Onset Heart Disease, and those whose lives may be affected in the future.”

Congenital Heart Defects Awareness is the first step.

An important step, to be sure, but just the first step.

Now that you are aware of the problem, wouldn’t you like to become a part of the solution?

Yes, you can.

Many like you have. See some of our smiling little hearts whose lives were touched and improved by people just like you.

Explore this site, learn more about congenital heart disease, see what the Dr.Mani Children Heart Foundation is doing to help, and then join in the global effort to spread CHD awareness.

Thank you from my heart for caring enough to make a difference!

Congenital Heart Disease – Atrial Septal Defect – Surgery sponsored by Dr.Mani Children Heart Foundation – January 2010

8 year old Dhanalakshmi was born with a hole in her heart, an Atrial Septal Defect.

Her parents came to Chennai to make a living. Her mother works as domestic help at two households. Her father is a daily-wages labourer. Together, they earn around Rs.2,500 a month.

That’s far below what was needed for her heart surgery, which would cost an estimated Rs.1,15,000. Yet she was operated in January 2010, the first surgery of the year under the Dr.Mani Children Heart Foundation banner.

A part of her treatment cost was sponsored by the Rotary Club (Chennai Tower branch), initiating what will be a long term relationship between the two organizations which is expected to benefit at least 40 children with congenital heart defects over the next 6 months, probably more.

Dhanalakshmi’s surgery is also partially subsidized by a grant from the State Govt under the Chief Minister’s “Ilam Sirar Idhayam Kappom Thittam”. And today, the little girl fully recovered from her major surgery, visited the Chief Minister at his office for a small ceremony to mark the successful conduct of the scheme over the last year and a half.

She smiled as the CM handed her a small gift. That smile was on her face even as I snapped her photograph earlier. It’s a smile made possible thanks to the generosity and caring shown by donors who support our Foundation.

Thank you from my heart for helping make a difference in her future – and many more as well.

Congenital Heart Disease – Ventricular Septal Defect – Surgery sponsored by Dr.Mani Children Heart Foundation – February 2010

Not quite smiling, but then you can’t blame little PRIYADARSHINI – she’s barely two years old! The weak, malnourished girl weighed just 7 kilograms, her heart laboring under the strain of an overload of blood rushing through her large Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD).

The pressure in her lungs had built up to the point where breathing itself was hard work, and she fell sick frequently with chest colds, needing hospitalization once for an attack of pneumonia.

Her parents, daily wage laborers in a village near Kanchipuram, couldn’t afford the expense of heart surgery. But thanks to the sponsored scheme of the State Government aided by support from generous donors, the Dr.Mani Children Heart Foundation was able to carry out her surgery.

She sailed through like a star, recovering fast from an operation that typically will keep an adult grounded for a week or longer! And as the family prepared to leave hospital a week later, the relief on her parents’ faces is silent testimony to the power of your help and support.

Thank you from my heart for making this happen.

Congenital Heart Disease – Ventricular Septal Defect – Surgery sponsored by Dr.Mani Children Heart Foundation – February 2010

When I asked the 9 year old girl to smile, she gave a wide, “toothless” grin! This was four days after she had open heart surgery to repair her Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD).

Parveen lives in a major metropolis, yet her treatment had to be put off because her parents could not afford surgery. The monthly household income was Rs.3,000 while her operation would cost almost forty times as much!

But in February 2010, Parveen had her congenital heart defect fixed.

The reason this was possible is because generous supporters donated much needed funds to the Dr.Mani Children Heart Foundation – and this sponsored the expenses of her treatment.

Now, her entire family is smiling – including Parveen’s little sister who is barely 3 years old! You helped make this possible. Thank you for your support.

Congenital Heart Disease – Ventricular Septal Defect – Surgery sponsored by Dr.Mani Children Heart Foundation – February 2010

Rashida is a twelve year old seventh grade student who was diagnosed to have a hole in her heart after she fainted once at school.

Her condition, a Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD), required treatment earlier in childhood – but her family could not afford the expense.

So Rashida waited – until a trip to Chennai led to her being sent to us for surgery through the State Government sponsored referral program.

Her heart defect was a unique form of VSD called a Gerbode variant, where blood from her left ventricle (the main pumping chamber of the heart) returns back to the right side through a hole in not just the ventricular septam, but also in her tricuspid heart valve.

The surgery to fix this problem was carried out successfully in February, 2010. The expenses were covered through donations generously granted to the Dr.Mani Children Heart Foundation, which has sponsored over 50 similar operations until now.

Rashida with parents Her parents are smiling. So is their daughter. And I hope you are smiling too as you read this – because YOU helped put a smile on so many faces!

Thank you from my heart!

Congenital Heart Disease – Atrial Septal Defect – Surgery sponsored by Dr.Mani Children Heart Foundation – January 2010

This shy, quiet little girl is 5 year old Shalini, a pre-schooler from Perambalur district who was referred to us for treatment of her heart condition.

Affected by a congenital heart defect called an Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), Shalini was easily tired and breathless whenever she played games.

Also, she frequently fell ill with chest colds and infections which kept her in bed, even needing hospitalization once when it was severe.

Her heart problem was picked up during a screening health camp. Shalini’s parents, casual laborers whose income could scarcely fund the costly treatment she needed, brought her to Chennai where she was referred to us.

Thanks to generous donations made by our donors, Shalini’s heart surgery to fix her ASD was carried out in January 2010, the third of many operations part-funded by the Rotary Club Chennai Tower branch.

Her sweet smile still lights up her little face, and is now matched by a smile of relief on her parents’ faces too.

Thank you for helping put it there!

Congenital Heart Disease – Atrial Septal Defect – Surgery sponsored by Dr.Mani Children Heart Foundation – January 2010

Gopinath is barely 5 years old – and a bundle of energy and excitement. He can’t sit still for a minute, and it’s hard to believe that inside his little heart is a hole that’s flooding his lungs with extra blood.

The little boy had an Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), a congenital heart defect that caused him to get breathless and tired easily.

His parents live and work in Vellore, and said they only earn around Rs.1,500 a month which is why they brought their son to a Government hospital for his expensive treatment.

Under the Govt. sponsored scheme, Gopinath was referred to us and with money raised through donations to the Dr.Mani Children Heart Foundation, his operation was successfully performed in January, 2010.

A couple of days later, the happy young man was running around the hospital corridors, cheering up other kids who had come for their operations and grinning widely at his parents who smiled right back.

These are smiles you helped make possible. Thank you!

Congenital Heart Disease – Atrial Septal Defect – Surgery sponsored by Dr.Mani Children Heart Foundation – June 2009

This little trooper has been struggling along gamely, even though his heart showed signs of the strain it had been facing from a large hole inside it – an “Atrial Septal Defect”.

Referred to us as part of our partnership with a State Government program, Yuvaraj’s heart surgery was funded through donations our generous contributors made to the Dr.Mani Children Heart Foundation, supported by a subsidy from the Government.

Now recovered from the operation, the little boy grins as he gets ready to leave the hospital. Thank you for putting that smile on his face!

Congenital Heart Disease – Ventricular Septal Defect – Surgery sponsored by Dr.Mani Children Heart Foundation – June 2009

She goes to sixth grade, but has trouble climbing stairs to her classroom, because she gets out of breath. No surprise there, considering that she has had a hole in her heart, a “Ventricular Septal Defect”, for years.

Diagnosed at age three, her family couldn’t afford treatment – and so she waited, hoping the hole would close on its own. Unfortunately, it did – but in a way that made her main heart valve leaky… a complication with serious impact.

That’s when she was referred to our organization. And because many generous supporters like you have donated to the Dr.Mani Children Heart Foundation, we were able to sponsor her heart surgery.

The hole in her heart is now closed. The leaky valve has now been fixed. The little girl is now smiling. Thank you for making it happen!

Congenital Heart Disease – Atrial Septal Defect – Surgery sponsored by Dr.Mani Children Heart Foundation – March 2009

Hemsundar’s toothy (or rather, toothless!) grin lights up his face. His father had been driven to distraction, worrying about how he was going to fund the expensive operation his son needed.

Thankfully, donors like you came to the rescue. Hemsundar had his atrial septal defect repaired through sponsorship by the Dr.Mani Children Heart Foundation. Thank you for your support!