Thank you for responding so quickly. If I were to have all his results send to a pediatric cardiologist, would they then tell me when they would recommend an appointment, or do I just need to try and make an appointment?
I'm sorry to ask so many questions, and I promise these are the last ones.
The problem is that without evaluating him as well as the actual images, it's difficult to say how urgent this is. Often, though, a ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysm is a more urgent diagnosis in general, as it can extend and cause more significant problems for the heart. I understand your financial situation, although they may be able to get you connected with a social worker to help find various sources of support for you.
Dr. Boris,
Thank you for your reply. I didn't realize that pediatric cardiology and adult cardiology would be all that different? I don't want to press you into being specific, but based on the findings I gave above, can you can a recommendation on how soon he should be seen by a pediatric cardiologist? As I said before, we are not insured so we pay out of pocket for these things. Financially we would be in the best position if we could save for at least the next six months, but I don't want to risk his health either. The general cardiologist who saw him said we could wait a year. Looking at his echo results as a pediatric cardiologist, could you give some guidance on whether that would be wise?
Thank you for being willing to answer questions.
Dear Mommy,
Please consider that while an adult cardiologist gets 1-2 months of training in congenital cardiac disease, a pediatric cardiologist gets 36 months of training. Adult cardiology is VERY different from pediatric and congenital cardiology, and adult cardiologists are not board certified in the practice of congenital cardiology. Therefore, regardless of the severity of the defect, all children and adolescents as well as any patient with a congenital cardiac defect of any age should be evaluated by a pediatric cardiologist.