Mike Penning makes heart felt plea to check for early signs of children’s heart problems

Hemel Hempstead MP Mike Penning met with local resident and Children’s Heart Federation volunteer Alex Smith to call on parents across Dacorum to check for warning signs of possible heart problems experienced by their children and follow life-saving guidance issued by the UK’s leading children’s heart charity.

Mike is supporting ‘Think HEART’ the Children’s Heart Federation which aims to increase early diagnosis of children’s heart conditions.

Think HEART provides parents with five easy signs to help to spot a heart problem:

H – Heart Rate (Is their heart rate too fast or too slow. Normal rate is between 100 to 160 beats per minute)

E – Energy (Are they sleepy, quiet and too tired to feed)

A – Appearance (Is your baby a pale, waxy, dusky, blue or grey colour)

R – Respiration (Are they breathing too fast or too slow. Normal rate is between 40 to 60 breaths per minute)

T – Temperature (Are they cold to touch – particularly their hands and feet)

Mike Penning said:
“Every year, 5,000 babies are born with Congenital Heart Disease, however only a third are detected before birth. Delays in diagnosis cause uncertainly, distress, physical harm and can even lead to risks to life for these young children.

“I urge parents to look out for the five Think HEART signs to ensure that any problems are quickly identified and managed effectively”.

Anne Keatley-Clarke, Chief Executive of CHF says: “We are grateful for Mike Penning MP’s support for our Think HEART campaign. We hope his encouragement alert’s parents to the importance of checking the health of their children’s heart condition and it gives them the confidence to raise the issue with their doctor or health professional.”

To get involved with the Think HEART campaign visit www.chfed.org.uk/thinkheart