Answer
A baby with a hole in its heart has a structural defect . This means that venous and arterial blood gets mixed in the heart . Such a baby may suffer pulmonary congestion, heart failure or worst--early infant death. Since function follows structure (form), abnormal structure usually means dysfunctions.
Work Step by Step
Normally, the the right atrium and the left atrium are completely separated, and the right ventricle and the left ventricle are completely separated. If there is a hole in the interatrial wall, or in the interventricular wall, the structure (form) of the heart is abnormal .Circulatory and respiratory functions will naturally become negatively affected because they depend on normal heart function and blood circulation. The baby might die because normal circulation is necessary for the delivery of adequate amounts of oxygen to all cells of the body.
