Conduit Replacement?

Hi, my son is 7 and he was born with tetralogy of fallot. His 1st surgery was at 2 days old, then he had a conduit placed twice by the time he was 3. Lately he has been out of breath and he has been vomiting every morning. I am having a hard time getting in touch with his cardiologist and he has been to the ER but they weren't any help. I was wondering is it time for his conduit to be replaced and if his condition can be permanently fixed?

[Jeffrey R Boris, M.D.]

Dear Roslyn,

I have no real information to be able to tell you whether your son's conduit needs to be replaced.  A lot of the decision making process depends on what is really happening with his heart at this point, and what a good history, examination, and testing would show.  There may be lots of other reasons (besides the heart) that can cause these symptoms.  If you are truly having an difficult time contacting his cardiologist, it may be worthwhile to seek a second opinion from a pediatric cardiologist who can be consistently reached.