Congenital Heart Disease – Open Heart Surgery For Babies and Toddlers
On 1 December 2002 I had little exposure to heart disease however only 10 days later was at the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) bedside of our newborn baby who required lifesaving open heart surgery. Whilst many diseases are extremely well known, the following are little known facts: • Heart defects are present in 1 in 100 babies • Heart disease in children is the leading cause of childhood death in Australia accounting for 30% of all child deaths. • …