Eisenmenger Syndrome: Congenital Heart Defects

There area a lot of complications that may arise even before a child is born. One of these conditions is the Eisenmenger syndrome. It is a type of heart complication that may be present at childbirth. The defect arises because of particular structural heart dysfunctions and malfunctions.

The heart may have an abnormal blood flow in between the heart’s left and right ventricle, pulmonary artery and the aorta. This may give rise to increased blood pressure particularly at the area of the pulmonary artery that carries deoxygenated blood. In some cases, this can actually lead to pulmonary hypertension.

The changes that are related to Eisenmenger syndrome may also be in connection to the septal defects of one’s heart. An abnormal persistence may exist at the fetal opening of the pulmonary artery and the aorta. This is medically termed as patent ductus arteriosus. This is basically why Eisenmenger syndrome is possible to arise since childbirth.

It is important to detect Eisenmenger syndrome at an earlier stage. But in some cases, the symptoms may not present itself until the child reach puberty or adulthood. Here are some of the symptoms related to this heart condition:

• Cyanosis- this is characterized by the bluish and/or purplish discoloration of the skin, including the mucous membrane. This is due to the insufficient oxygenation of the blood. When this happens, there is a relative increase of reduced hemoglobin in the blood and may even reach as much as 100 ml.
• Dyspnea- this is a medical term that refers to difficulty in breathing. This is also one of the symptoms for asthma attacks and other heart conditions, including Eisenmenger syndrome.
• Syncope- a momentary stopping of the heart that results to fainting. This may be because of the abnormal blood flow in the part of one’s brain. This happens either because the blood return skipped some beats or the vasomotor center itself shuts the heart off because of very high blood pressure.
• Hypoxia- described as decreased supply of oxygen in the tissue.

Eisenmenger syndromes can also be related to ventricular septal defects or also referred to as VSD. In common terms, it means the presence of a hole in the heart. This hole refers to the lack of communication between the body’s lower heart chambers. There is an increased blood pressure at either part of the heart. If one had a higher blood pressure than the other area of the heart, there is a possibility that blood flow may lean towards the part of the heart with a lower pressure.

For some individuals, surgical procedure might be the only solution to correct such an underlying heart defect. When under surgery, one may also understand the possible complications that may arise. Without the surgical correction, the damage it can cause the body may spread and can even lead to pulmonary vascular disease.

Medication should be seek first to at least control the heart disturbances, heart contractions and other serious symptoms of Eisenmenger’s syndrome that may as well be the cause of heart failure. The medication is basically used to aide on the dilation of arteries along the area of the lungs. They could also help lower down blood pressure and normalize the heart rate. Of course, medication should always be supervised and monitored by you physician. Medications for pulmonary vasodilator are found to be effective treatment for some individuals who experiences Eisenmenger’s syndrome, this can effectively alleviate symptoms related to pulmonary hypertension. Blood thinners, also called as anticoagulants, like Coumadin and aspirins are also used in some cases. In the even that a patient has low blood iron level, iron supplements are recommended.