January is National Birth Defects Awareness Month. If you are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant, learn how to reduce the risks. Facts Birth defects are conditions present at birth that may adversely affect an individual’s health by changing the body’s shape or functioning. They can affect general health, how the body develops or how […]
Mending tiny hearts: Surgery for congenital heart defect gives 6-year-old a healthy future
Leonardo Velazquez Miller is an active, healthy 6-year-old who loves to swim and play soccer in his hometown of Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. Looking at him now you wouldn’t suspect he was born with Dextro-Transposition of the Great Arteries or d-TGA, a congenital heart defect (CHD) where the 2 main arteries carrying blood out of […]
Surgery closes the gap on cleft lips and palates – (VIDEO)
Beyond the impact on a child’s physical appearance, correcting a cleft lip and palate can aid in the ability to speak, chew and swallow. In this Children’s Channel video, Ananth Murthy, MD, director of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Akron Children’s, discusses the treatment of this birth defect.