What is aortic valve stenosis in newborns?

Aortic valve stenosis is a type of congenital heart disease. Congenital heart disease refers to heart problems a baby is born with. These heart problems are usually diagnosed at or before birth.

"Aortic" refers to the aorta, one of the two main arteries attached to the heart. The aorta sends oxygen-rich blood (red blood) out to the body. The aortic valve is the gate through which the heart pumps blood into the aorta."Stenosis" means "narrowed."

In aortic valve stenosis, that gate is narrower than normal. If the stenosis gets worse, the heart may have to work harder to push blood through it. And over time, this can weaken the heart.

It can be scary to learn that there is something wrong with your baby's heart. The hospital staff understands this. They will explain what happens and will answer your questions.

Symptoms depend on how much narrowing there is in the valve. If there is only a little narrowing, there may be no symptoms.

When the narrowing is more serious, symptoms may include:

• A blue tint to the skin, lips, and fingernails.
• Fast breathing.
• Sweating while feeding.
• Not eating well.
• Being fussy a lot of the time.

Your doctor may hear abnormal heart sounds, such as a heart murmur, when examining your newborn.

Your doctor will order tests to find the cause of abnormal sounds or of symptoms. The most common test used to identify this problem is called an echocardiogram, or "echo" for short. It uses sound waves to make an image of your baby's heart.

Your baby may have other tests, such as an EKG (electrocardiogram), chest X-ray, and checking the amount of oxygen in the blood.

A fetal ultrasound, which lets your doctor see an image of your baby before birth, sometimes finds this problem.

Your doctor will help you understand your baby's condition, your treatment choices, and what to expect from each choice.

Your doctor may use a procedure called a valvuloplasty to stretch the valve so that it is more open. Your baby will be asleep during this procedure. The doctor puts a thin tube into a blood vessel. This may be a blood vessel in your baby's groin. Or it may be one of the vessels in the belly button.

The tube is called a catheter. It contains a tiny uninflated balloon. The doctor moves the catheter through the blood vessel to the heart. The doctor feeds the balloon into the valve and then inflates it for a short time to stretch open the valve.

Sometimes surgery is done to repair or replace the valve.

Your doctor will make sure that you have all the information you need to take care of your baby. Your child's care team can show you how to help your baby. You can also ask the hospital staff about counseling and support.