What are the treatments for heart-related birth defects?

If a treatment is...: ...Needed at all, it is usually, sooner or later, surgical. An interim treatment with medication such as diuretics may be needed before surgery.

Surgery or Waiting: Of course the answer depends on the type of defect. Some require immediate surgery, and others may resolve themselves with time. Your pediatrician should refer you to a pediatric cardiologist to direct you in the proper management of the condition.

Depends: The best way to help manage a heart birth defect is to first identify the problem. Then seek advice from a qualified pediatrician or if more complicated, a pediatric cardiologist. Some heart birth defects actually disappear with age. Some are permanent, but harmless. Others require more intense therapy or even surgery.Your doctor can guide you.

Surgery, medication: Many congenital heart defects require surgery, but when surgery is done and how many operations may be required depends completely on what the specific defect is. Other heart defects are not as severe and may be able to be managed with medication alone. Talk with your child's pediatric cardiologist to learn what to do for your baby's heart defect. You may be told to just wait and watch.

Depends on type: Heart defects are variable from those that improve on their own given a few months like a small vsd to those that require heart transplant like hypoplastic left heart.