[ResaO]

HELP. I am a new nursing student and I was just told that my newborn grandson has a hole in his heart. I need more informatin about this. Obviously this is a serious situation, but I don't really understand how serious and what are the implications of all this? Any education,advice or prayers are welcomed. Thank you.

[prmenrs]

You need more info to even look it up. Is it an ASD or VSD? Those would be my first 2 thoughts as to what it might be. Depending on how big it is, it might not be too bad. ASk them where the hole is, and if there are any symptoms: color, problems breathing, etc.

DON'T PANIC YET!!

[CHATSDALE]

these frequently close on their own...usually close at birth but if it doesn't they can do a umbrella procedure...this is really how it use to be done it may be different now...i am sure he is in good hands and they will solve this problem quickly

[kids]

I am sorry to hear about your grandson.
My first (and so far, only) grandchild was born in January 2003 with Transposition of the Great Vessels.
The first 2 weeks of his life was one of the most terrifying periods in mine.
He had open heart surgery at 10 (11?) days old and is now healthy, happy, normal toddler. Please, feel free to pm me anytime you need to talk.

As far as congenital heart defects go both Atrial and Ventricular septal defects are fairly minor. They can often close on there own as the baby grows.
Whether or not the defect needs to be surgically repaired depends on the severity of any symptoms. The surgical procedure is pretty straight forward but does require open heart surgery and all of its associated risks.
Thanks to the amazing resilience of children they bounce back MUCH quicker than adults do.

Once you know exactly which defect your grandson has I recommend the following sites:
http://www.heartcenteronline.com/myh...=32&searchterm=
http://pediheart.org/

[BRANDY LPN]

My daughter has a "hole in her heart" she was born with a ventricular septal defect, and she also had a patent ductus arteriousis if you want to talk just PM me. She is a healthy active perfect 7 year old now and the only thing that is any concern at this point is bacterial endocarditis (sp?) so she has to have antibiotics before any dental work.