Blue Baby Syndrome: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment Options

What is Blue Baby Syndrome

Blue baby syndrome, also known as Cyanosis is a condition in babies when their skin turns blue or purple.

When a baby cries, the face should become a darker shade of pink. If your baby is not turning pink while crying, if your baby’s lips and hands seem bluish or purple, then your baby may have Cyanosis or Blue Baby Syndrome.

This happens when your baby’s blood does not carry enough oxygen to the tissues.

Blue Baby Syndrome mostly happens when there is a congenital heart defect.

In normal circulation blood carrying carbon-dioxide from the body enters the heart and is sent to the lungs. The lungs remove carbo-dioxide and fill blood with oxygen. This oxygenated blood is returned to the heart. The heart then pumps the oxygen rich blood to the rest of the body to keep it functioning right.

For this process to work right, blood with carbon-dioxide from the body and blood with oxygen from the lungs should flow in the right direction without mixing. If there is any problem anywhere, there will be less oxygen in the blood reaching the tissues leading to Blue Baby Syndrome.

Causes of Blue Baby Syndrome

• Hole between the left and right chambers of the heart
• Faulty valve between the heart chambers or in the major blood vessels that leave the heart
• Wrong connection between lung artery and aorta that carries oxygen rich blood to the body
• Blood vessels from the lungs connecting to wrong areas of the heart

Symptoms of Blue Baby Syndrome

• Bluish tinge in the lips, ear lobes and nails
• Delays reaching milestones
• Lethargic or irritable baby
• Inability to feed properly resulting in poor weight gain
• Swollen legs, abdomen and eyes

Treatment options

Treatment will depend on the underlying cause of blue baby syndrome. Minor problems may not need immediate intervention. Doctors may adopt a wait and watch policy with constant monitoring to check for progress. Certain problems such as a hole may correct itself as the baby grows, but some conditions may require immediate treatment.

Treatment options include:

Medications

Medications may be prescribed to treat complications of congenital heart defects. Medicines to treat blood pressure, reduce fluid retention and regulate heartbeat may be given.

Angioplasty

A hole in the heart and a defective valve can be corrected without surgery through cardiac catheterization procedure using thin catheters and fine instruments inserted through a blood vessel in the groin to reach the heart.

Heart surgery

Some congenital heart defects may need an open-heart surgery or a minimally invasive surgery to correct the problem.
With the right management, a baby born with a congenital heart defect can lead a normal life. If you feel there is any problem with your baby, consult your Pediatrician immediately.

Consult our Pediatrics Cardiologist for all heart problems of babies and children. Our comprehensive services will help your baby develop normally and lead a productive life.