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Heart Disease (Expert Forum)
PFO w bidierectional shunting in infant
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PFO w bidierectional shunting in infant
by katiesmom1976, Jan 18, 2002 12:00AM
hi ihave a baby htat was born with respritoty distresss yndrome he is almost 5 1\2wks old.and also had persistant fetal circulation for a time. he had a PDA which was clsoed with meds but after the PDA closed his PFO started to shunt both right to left and left to right with the majority being left to right shunt, he also has a trivial tricuspid regurgitation. my baby sleeps all the time and at times apears to be cyanotic in the nail beds of his hands exspecially after crying and feedings which he has difficulty staying awake for and still takes about 45min on average.
1.is this normal with this condition in a newborn who has a bidierction shunt?
2. should we get a cardiology follow up to make shure all is good and how long does it take the hole to close if it does not after birth as it should.
3. could the bidirectional shunting be caused by increased preasure still in his lungs from the RDS?
thanks for any information i cant find any with regards toa bidirectional shunt i know all about PDA my daughter had one that had he rin chf by 6 1\2mo of age but hte PFO is new to me and i areally eed to understand what is happening with my baby.
joanna
1.is this normal with this condition in a newborn who has a bidierction shunt?
2. should we get a cardiology follow up to make shure all is good and how long does it take the hole to close if it does not after birth as it should.
3. could the bidirectional shunting be caused by increased preasure still in his lungs from the RDS?
thanks for any information i cant find any with regards toa bidirectional shunt i know all about PDA my daughter had one that had he rin chf by 6 1\2mo of age but hte PFO is new to me and i areally eed to understand what is happening with my baby.
joanna
Doctor's Answer
by CCF-M.D.-CRC, Jan 18, 2002 12:00AM
Dear joanna,
A left to right shunt should not cause cyanosis. Has his blood oxygen saturation been measured? Perhaps it is normal and he does not have cyanosis.
Babies with heart problems certainly can have difficulties with feeding and I would think a cardiology follow-up would be a good idea. Most PFOs close over the first few years of life but some may persist to adulthood. In general this is a benign heart 'defect'.
Increased pulmonary pressures could cause right to left shunting. The best way to check for this would be with an echocardiogram.
A left to right shunt should not cause cyanosis. Has his blood oxygen saturation been measured? Perhaps it is normal and he does not have cyanosis.
Babies with heart problems certainly can have difficulties with feeding and I would think a cardiology follow-up would be a good idea. Most PFOs close over the first few years of life but some may persist to adulthood. In general this is a benign heart 'defect'.
Increased pulmonary pressures could cause right to left shunting. The best way to check for this would be with an echocardiogram.
