how to determin a hole in the heart

[kaffine]

my daughter is telling me that her doctor says she has a hole in the heart and will be going for surgery in two weeks. what tests determin if there is a hole in the heart?

[ed34]

As far as I'm aware, this medication is fine unless you have very low blood pressure. It's very similar to morphine and good for pain control. The main issue with this medication is mixing with Alcohol, that's a definite no no, very dangerous. It can be addictive with long term usage, but I'm sure after surgery the dosage will be reduced and stopped altogether over a relatively short period of time. After bypass surgery I was on strong pain relief for about 3 weeks, and then my appetite and concentration levels returned back to normal within about 24 hours.

[kaffine]

Yes that is the name. I heard she shouldn't be on anything like that with her problem

[ed34]

Do you mean Roxicodone? for pain relief?

[kaffine]

Thank you , that was very informative. She also said that her doctor is putting her on a pill called roxy's. Is this a mecication she should be on with her problem?

[Smiley2000]

Hi there,

How old is your daughter?  given you age I would assume she could be in her late 20's or 30's?  With modern technology open heart surgery is no longer needed to repair a hole in the heart.  Thoracic Surgeons can now fix it by going through the artery in the groin!  But it depends on the size of the hole and the Surgeon will know best.

The best way to diagnose this condition is with an Echo or even a T.E.E.

[ed34]

The tests which can give a 'clue' are listening to the heart with a stethascope, a murmur is usually present. An X-ray or ECG can show an enlarged ventricle etc. The definitive test really is an echocardiogram.
Outcomes especially long term, are so much better these days. Going back in time, they used to suture it closed which resulted in damaged heart tissue but now they use a biodegradable patch which allows normal heart tissue to fill the hole. Sometimes they use angioplasty to deploy a closure device which opens up like a tiny umbrella.