Sometimes congenital heart disease can be diagnosed in the womb or sometimes in the early stages of their childhood. At other times, the diagnosis happens very late. Only around eight in about one thousand children experience pediatric congenital heart disease. This signifies it is rare. There are certain tests that are taken on the child to diagnose pediatric congenital heart disease. There are a few tests that can be done when the child is in the womb.
The Several Forms of Tests
ECHO test is done to diagnose pediatric congenital heart disease, and this can be done in four different ways. The first is fetal ECHO test. This test is performed when the child is in the womb. Pictures of the babys heart are taken using ultrasound waves. This test is performed only after the eighteenth week of pregnancy. This is done because the heart chambers are mature enough so that it can be seen in the pictures.
The second type is done when the child is being sedated. The child is sedated because the pictures taken are clearer only when the child is still and this is not possible with children below the age of three during the period of diagnosing pediatric congenital heart disease.
The third type is a test performed when the child is a little bigger, and when the child obeys commands and listens to doctors while the test is conducted. The fourth type of ECHO test is transesophageal. In this a tube is put into the patients throat in order to get a clearer picture of the heart. For this test the child is sedated and is given general anesthesia.
Holter monitoring is another way to diagnose pediatric congenital heart disease. In this way electrocardiogram readings are taken every twenty-four hours a day as the child performs his/her day to day activities to picture the exact heart functions. During the day the child is supposed to wear the monitor. This is removed at the end of the day to note down the readings.
The other type of testing for pediatric congenital heart disease that is efficient is tilt table testing. The procedure followed in this type of testing is that the child is placed on a bed frame that is moveable, but the child is still and in position. In this test one can measure the blood pressure and heart rate and the patient is moved on the bed to change the vertical to horizontal position and vice versa to monitor the changes.