Hoping for the best for my friend.

My friend is 21 weeks pregnant and was told today that her little boy might have an Atrioventricular Septal Defect. She is really devastated and is thinking the worst at the moment. She was also told that her baby might have Downs Syndrome. She had an amniocentesis today also and will get the results on Friday. I was just wondering if anyone else went through a similar situation when they were pregnant and is there a chance of her having a healthy baby?

[Dr San Miguel]

Hi. The atrial septum is a wall between the left and right atrium. When the flap does not close normally on its own, a hole in the atrial wall remains. About 60% of atrial septal defect (ASD) is found in Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome). Like normal children, symptoms and treatment of children with ASD depend on the size and location of the defect and associated heart abnormalities.  Oftentimes, children who do not have symptoms or cardiac enlargement grow healthy and may not need surgery. However, if the defect is large, catheter placement, medications or open-heart surgery may be necessary. For further medical advice, it might be best that your friend ask a pediatric cardiologist. Hope this helps.