bundle branch block

  I asked a question earlier about my 2 year old son's supraventricular tachycardia which you kindly answered thank you. He also has an incomplete right bundle branch block and the doctors say its completely harmless. I was wondering if that is something that would be or could be a problem to him in the future, something that as he gets older he should remember to tell his doctors about? Also he had an echocardiogram when he was around 1 which showed "a tiny patent foramen ovale" which again we were told was of no concern. Should this be followed up on? Unfortunately where we live there is only one group of pediatric cardiologists and we do not have a good relationship with our doctor and we truly do not trust him which is why I have all these questions. Thank you very much for your help!
  Laura

[CCF Cardio MD - MTR]

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Dear Laura, thank you for your question.  Incomplete RBBB is benign and shouldn't
cause problems for your son in the future.  This may be related to the SVT that
he had, but I don't know for sure since I didn't answer your previous question.
You should inform his doctors about this diagnosis in the future so they don't get
too excited if your son has another ECG done at some time in the future. Likewise,
a tiny patent foramen ovale is also a benign condition.  The foramen ovale is
a connection between the left and right atria (top chambers of the heart) that
functions during fetal development as a way to bypass the pulmonary circuit. The
fetal lungs receive little blood flow from the right side of the heart because
the blood is already oxygenated by the maternal circulation and the lungs
would not be able to exchange air since the fetus is immersed in amniotic fluid.
Oxygenated blood crosses from the right atrium through the foramen ovale to
the left atrium, then to the left ventricle, and then out to the rest of the
fetus.  After birth, the foramen ovale usually closes since the fetal lungs are
working and can oxygenate the blood.   In about 30% of people, the foramen ovale
doesn't close completely after birth.  This is almost always a benign condition
that has no clinical consequences later in life.  Thus, I agree with the assessment
of your son's physicians.  I hope you find this information useful.
Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only.  Specific
diagnoses and therapies can only be provided by your physicians.