In the womb, the heart evolves from a hollow tube into a four-chambered pump in only 8 weeks. Bulging, twisting, folding, it swells into shape. There is, in the midst of such surging growth, ample room for error. Yet only 1/2-1% of the total babies born exhibit malformations. Hereditary factors, defective genes and chromosomes, maternal drugs, vitamin deficiencies, radiation and infections such as German Measles during the first three months of pregnancy are largely responsible.

Ranging from a simple 'hole-in-the-heart' to veritable 'crossword puzzles' the defects can cause anomalous circulation. Such malformations impair the child's growth, make it susceptible to infections and more seriously, result in 'blue-babies' due to large shunts creating admixture of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood. Simple 'umbrella' closure of defects by cardiac catheterisation to very complex open heart surgeries may be required to treat these defects.