Disease Process that Interrupts Gaseous Exchange and Oxygen Circulation – Congenital Heart Defects (CHDs)

Air gets into the body via the nose or mouth before quickly moving to the throat or
pharynx, then to the voice box (larynx) and the trachea, a strong tube containing cartilage rings.
From the windpipe or trachea, air branches into the right bronchus and left bronchus, then to the
bronchioles (smaller parts of the bronchi). Ultimately, the bronchioles end up in the air sacs
known as alveoli. Gas exchange takes place in the air sacs or alveoli, which inflate or expand
when people breath in (inhale air) and deflate or reduce when breathing out (exhaling air). In the
process of gas exchange, oxygen is transferred from the lungs to the bloodstream, while carbon
dioxide moves in the opposite direction. In the lungs, gas exchange happens between a system of
capillaries (miniscule blood vessels) and the alveoli. Once in the capillaries, oxygen is
transferred to the heart for pumping to the other parts of the body. Oxygen-rich blood moves
from the lungs to the heart’s left atrium through the pulmonary vein and then flows into the left
ventricle via the mitral valve. Afterward, the left ventricle then forces out the oxygen-rich blood
via the aortic valve and then into the aorta – the primary artery that pumps blood to the other
parts of the body (CDC, 2022).
Multiple diseases can interrupt gaseous exchange or block the effective circulation of
oxygen from the lungs into and out of the heart. Congenital heart disease or defects, shortened as
CHD, is one of the major diseases affecting oxygen circulation. CHD refers to problems (one or
more) with the heart structure, often visible at birth. Congenital means that the heart defect exists
since birth and possibly occurred during embryo development in the womb. Some congenital
heart diseases can alter the way blood flows, while some never cause any problems. Common
CHD symptoms like shortness of breath, arrhythmias, cyanosis, tiring quickly, and edema.

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Complex CHDs are life-threatening and might cause heart failure, pulmonary hypertension,
stroke, and heart infections. Typically, they affect various heart structures, from the septum to
the chambers to valves to the arteries. Common congenital heart diseases include bicuspid aortic
valve, atrioventricular canal defect, atrial septal defect, and coarctation of the aorta. Overall,
heart defects result in low oxygen supply in the bloodstream because a defective heart fails to
pump blood effectively to the rest of the body (Flocco et al., 2018).

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References
CDC. (2022). Congenital heart defects (CHDs).
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/heartdefects/howtheheartworks.html
Flocco, S. F., et al. (2018). Congenital heart disease: The nursing care handbook. Springer.