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IMAGE: Graphic comparing a normal heart to one with a typical congenital heart defect where there is a hole in the wall separating the lower two chambers. A Johns Hopkins-led study. view more
Credit: Public Domain via Wikipedia Commons as released by Mariana Ruiz Villarreal, LadyofHats
In a medical records study covering thousands of children, a U.S.-Canadian team led by researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine concludes that while surgery to correct congenital heart disease (CHD) within 10 years after birth may restore young hearts to healthy function, it also may be associated with an increased risk of hypertension high blood pressure within a few months or years after surgery.