THE CHILD WITH HEART DISEASE
Unlike other illnesses affecting children, heart disease is invisible to the naked eye. There are over 200 known types of heart defects…
HOW TO DEAL WITH THE BIRTH OF A CHILD WITH HEART DISEASE
This section was written with the help of Heidi Shapiro, social worker in the cardiology department at CHU Sainte-Justine.
Following the announcement of the diagnosis, it is normal for a parent of a child with heart disease to be in shock…
THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE CHILD WITH HEART DISEASE
The reaction of parents, the attitude of health professionals, the child’s own environment – playmates, educators and others – all will play a crucial role on the child’s quality of life, on the child’s psychological and physical development.
Three factors are responsible for the behaviour of the child:
KAWASAKI DISEASE
Kawasaki disease is a disease that mainly affects children aged between 6 months and 6 years. Each year, approximately 15 out of 100,000 preschool age children will develop it throughout Quebec. It is therefore not a common disease, but on average, a hundred children are diagnosed every year…
CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE IN ADULTS
Until recently, congenital heart defects were considered a child disease, since those who suffered from them generally did not make it into adulthood. Today, with the incredible medical advances of the last decades, this is no longer the case…
HOSPITALS
In Quebec, there are four different hospitals that have the expertise and equipment necessary to treat cases of congenital heart defects. Three of these four hospitals perform cardiac surgery in children. Each hospital has experts in pediatric cardiology as well as resource personnel (technicians, nurses).
