Globally, congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common type of birth defect, affecting approximately 1 in 100 live births.
Nearly half of the children born with CHD will need a medical intervention and 25% will need it in their first year, just to survive.
Early diagnosis, through prenatal imaging, is key to improving survival rates and quality of life. As a leading authority in prenatal ultrasound and fetal diagnosis, ISUOG is well-placed to raise awareness of the issues, educate healthcare professionals and facilitate access to early detection technologies.
But we can’t do it alone. We are calling on our fellow organisations, industry influencers and specialists in imaging in obstetrics and gynecology to join us in taking action.
Join the campaign to drive global discussions that implement change and improve detection rates, whilst shining a light on the patient’s voice. Because…
Every Little Heart Matters
…no matter how small, or where it is in the world.
Imaging should be a right not a privilege!
Every Little Heart Matters in the palm of your hand!
Two applications have been developed that make it easy for you to access Every Little Heart Matters content on the go.
The ELHM app
If you are out and about and need quick and easy access to resources on the Every Little Heart Matters webpages, log into the ELHM app. From your mobile you can browse our growing library of resources and learn more about the drive to raise global awareness and improve the detection of congenital heart defects.
(The app has been developed by Arvind Suresh, RxStory and kindly supported by Medialogic.)
An ELHM augmented experience
Explore a fetal heart in the palm of your hand via our augmented reality app on your mobile phone. This augmented reality experience brings both a normal fetal heart at 20 weeks and a d-TGA case to life, in your hand, and walks you through the screening planes used in routine cardiac assessments.
This augmented reality experience was developed by Piotr Podziemski, Holobits Software, in collaboration with members of the ELHM Oversight Group and is based on heart models provided courtesy of MWU Fetal Heart VR. It is available until 31 December 2026.
Making an impact
Despite advancements in fetal imaging, CHD remains underdiagnosed around the world – and particularly in low-resource settings. This is our opportunity to take action, as specialists in the field – whether as medical professionals, educators, manufacturers and technologists, global health charities… the list goes on.
Our mission
To empower sonologists to confidently recognise when a heart is abnormal, regardless of diagnostic certainty, by demystifying cardiac imaging, simplifying core views and fostering equitable access to foundational echocardiographic skills, especially in underserved regions.
To provide information that will empower parent groups and their supporters to ask the right questions.
The Every Little Heart Matters campaign aims to:
- Build diagnostic confidence
- Simplify cardiac imaging
- Eradicate the fear of cardiac scanning
- Promote equity in detection
- Maximise early recognition impact
- Build confidence for parent advocacy groups
Together we can:
- Improve access to quality sonographic screening
- Raise awareness among multidisciplined health professionals
- Raise awareness of the importance of early screening and detection of CHD for parent groups
- Close the gap in knowledge and access