CHD Heart Diagrams
The job of the heart is to pump blood with oxygen to the body. There are four chambers in the heart: 2 collecting chambers and 2 pumping chambers. The blue blood (without oxygen) and red blood (with oxygen) are kept separate by walls between the collecting chambers (atrial septum) and pumping chambers (ventricular septum). There are four valves that act as doors to let blood flow forward and not backward in the heart. For a more detailed look and description of normal heart function, click here to view the Normal Heart.
Sometimes during fetal development, parts of the heart do not form as described above. These changes are collectively known as congenital heart defects. Click on the links below to find out more information about each chd.
Cardiac Shunts or Connections Between Collecting Chambers, Pumping Chambers, and Blood Vessels
Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA)
Atrial Septal Defects (ASD)
Atrioventricular Canal Defect
Ventricular Septal Defects (VSD)
“Blue” or Potentially Cyanotic Heart Defects
Pulmonary Stenosis
Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF)
(D-) Transposition of the Great Vessels
Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome
Obstructive Lesions
The pulmonary and aortic valves may be obstructive, getting in the way of flow coming out of the ventricles into the pulmonary arteries and aorta (see “Pulmonic Stenosis”, which is discussed under Cyanotic or Blue heart disease).
