new -- friend adopted newborn with anatomical variations...

Hi, I just spoke with my friend who adopted a baby at birth.  She is now five months old.  It was discovered (as an incidental finding when an echocardiogram was done to investigate an unrelated issue... not sure what) that her heart has some anatomical variations as follows:

thickened AV valve
redundant valves
large atria, small ventricles
foramen between atria and ventricles is too small

(I think I remember these correctly).  The pediatric cardiologist could not lump these findings together into one syndrome, and they said that the prognosis could be anywhere from a perfectly normal life to not compatible with life (down the road).  Currently, she is doing fine.  She tested negative for metabolic disorders.  Her bio mom did not offer the best prenatal care, and we are not sure of what she may have been exposed to.

Sometimes her feet and area around her mouth turn a little blue, but the doctors do not seem concerned about that.

Anyone know of a child w/ similar issues?  How is he/she doing?  Any insights appreciated.

[grendslori]

Hello and welcome to our site! I'm not sure that the problem with the valves is that important. The small ventricles and enlarged atrium could be a problem in time and she does need to continue to see a pediatric cardiologist. The blueing around the mouth is for the most part, normal; it becomes a problem when the mucus lining INSIDE the mouth is blue, that is why the doctors aren't too concerned about the outside of her mouth turning blue. The feet turning blue is also common in babies and is a result of an underdeveloped circulatory system; it just needs time to develop. take care