Another question about 2yr old w/pm

Hi:
I have a question....i asked something the other day and got great answers about my 2 year old w/pm....he goes to the doctor on the 7th to address the issue of the coughing while exercising. however someone said something in the reply that struck a nerve and hoping someone can also add something....when my son was born he had that hole in his heart that is common that usually closes up by the time they are a couple of months old....my son's didnt close up...they said it's completely normal and alot of people have it....as a matter of fact my dad had surgery a couple of years ago to close his because he had a stroke.....does anyone have any input...i think it's called a pfi but not sure...something like that.....also if it's not that then could he have developed a hole in his heart that's causing this.....also he was sick a couple of months ago and the regular ped said she heard a murmur but shouldnt that have been cleared with the pm? i took him back for a re-check and she said it sounded fine then....but i am just concerned.....any suggestions?
Happy New Year.

4 Comments

Hi there,

by Megg - 2008-01-02 03:01:07

my daughter was born with a 'ventricular septal defect', When a child is in the womb the blood passes through this hole until birth.once a child is born the hole is supposed to close and the blood passes via the lungs.
In some cases the hole doesn't close and the unoxygenated blood can still pass through,we would notice a blue tinge to her lips,fingers and toes.When you listened to the heart there was a slight wooshing sound

The only thing we had to do was make sure that she was on antibiotics when she went to the dentist. Other than that she is now 26 and living a perfectly healthy normal life.She was also an extremely good athlete in both short and long distance running.

Hope this helps.

thank you....

by momof3greatkids - 2008-01-02 05:01:26

he has a single chamber pacemaker....could a hole in his heart develop after his pacemaker implantation...i mean his heart was looked at so closeley for so long last year isnt it unlikely that it would develop now?
what about the vsd? is that from bearth or could it develop?
thank you for all the information?

PFO

by TSmith - 2008-01-02 05:01:33

VSD - ventricular septal defect involves the two lower chambers of the heart. PFO is the two upper (atrium) chambers.

A patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a relatively common and often asymptomatic heart defect that is present at birth (congenital). During fetal development, the heart’s two upper chambers (atria) are connected by a hole through the wall of muscle that separates them (septum). In 15-20 percent of the general population the foramen ovale remains open (patent), allowing blood to potentially or actually mix between the two atria. Current studies are looking at PFO and migraines. AGA medical as a device on the market to correct the defect. Check out their website

It is still possible to have a murmur after pacemaker implant if the patient has a dual chamber device (2 leads). The ventricular lead passes through the tricuspid valve which can cause a murmur.

PFO

by TSmith - 2008-01-03 10:01:58

Most likely he has had the defect since birth. It is possible for the physician to pass the lead and cause a perforation (hole in the heart), however this is very rare and the cardiac tissue repairs very quickly. I would say this is very very unlikely caused by the implant.

It may have been overlooked or not a major issue during the past year. You can always ask to see his medical records. The echo report would be my first choice.

Serious VSD are generally repaired.

Cheers
Tom

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