Question about Atrial Septal Defect

BRANDY LPN · Dec 20, 2004

I worked with a nurse who was dx with ASD during her senior year of high school, she collapsed during a basketball game, she had it repaired is now a nurse is happily married with two healthy children. My daughter has a VSD, ventricular septal defect, and as the hole grows smaller the murmur gets louder, think about when you blow across the top of a glass bottle, the larger the opening the lower the noise, same thing as the hole gets smaller the blood rushing through it makes a more audible murmur, however I agree that this should have been caught earlier with well baby check ups, but just be glad it has been caught now and can be corrected before any more damage is done. There is tons of info. about congenital heart defects on the internet, try the american heart association. If you want/need to talk to another parent who has been there done that email me at [email protected] or just send me a PM. Try to relax, as scary as it sounds, it will be okay.

RN-TO-BE · Dec 20, 2004

Thanks...Brandy LPN.

The doctor said that his murmur is very faint. I thought that was a good thing but after doing hours and hours of research via the internet I am reading that the fainter the murmur, the larger the hole. I graduate from nursing school in May 2005 and I know that he is going to be fine even if he has to have surgery but part of me, I guess the mother part, is scared to death. I find myself listening to his heart with my stethoscope several times every day. I cannot really hear a murmur myself but his heartbeat is very irregular. I guess all that I can do is pray for him and wait until we see the cardiologist.

Did your daughter have to have surgery?? How is she doing now?

Thanks, again!!!

BRANDY LPN · Dec 21, 2004

She also had a PDA, patent ductus arteriousis, and they repaired that in the cath lab with coil embolization. They said at dx that she would "outgrow" her VSD, but they were wrong. Now they say it probably won't close spont. but it has gotten so small at this point that she will not require surgery. She was sick alot until they fixed her PDA, she had alot of resp. involvement which I am told was rare considering the size of her defects, she was also failure to thrive, and only weighed 13 lbs. at 12 months, ALL of that improved as soon as they repaired the PDA. Today she is 7 years old and healthy as a horse,tall and skinny for her age, but that is genetic, she can do everything kids her age should do, she is VERY rarely sick, and has no more prob with "asthma attacks", the only thing that is a concern is she is at higher risk for bacterial endocarditis so before any dental work she has to have antibiotics, in the whole scope of things not a bad thing at all. I know you are scared to death, I was too. Like I said if you just need to talk just email me and I will send you my IM info. Her murmur is so pronounced now that you can actually feel a thrill on her chest. It is sorta funny almost everytime she is examined at the MDs/hosp. they will call all the med students and residents in to listen to her heart b/c it is "just such a great murmur". Where are you located at, how far is the nearest childrens hospital?

BRANDY LPN · Dec 21, 2004

Oh and the murmur prob sounds like a "whooshing sound"with the beat. Best way I can think to describe it.

kids · Dec 23, 2004

My grandson was born with a serious heart defect. Peds cardiology is not my "thing" so I did a lot of searching.

I very highly recommend http://www.heartcenteronline.com/index2.cfm and http://pediheart.org/ for information about just about any heart defect.

zambezi, BSN, RN · Dec 23, 2004

Here is another good website:

http://www.childrensheartinstitute.org/

BRANDY LPN · Jan 18, 2005

Update? So what did the peds cardiologist say? How are you doing and how is your son?

Hoping everything is going well for you.

mckids · Feb 7, 2005

I have a question about an atrial septal defect. My son, who is 7, sees a pulmonologist for his asthma. I took him to see his pulmonologist last Thursday for a check-up because he needs a refill on his asthma medications. While the Dr. was examining him, he found that my son has a heart murmur. He has referred him to a pediatric cardiologist. He said that the murmur could be innocent but he was leaning more towards an atrial septal defect. He said the cardiologist would have to confirm the diagnosis with an echocardiogram. My question to all the peds nurses, is have you ever seen a child diagnosed with this at this age? I am having trouble understanding how this has never been found before now. The only thing that I can think of is maybe the hole was really small and as my son has grown it has gotton bigger causes the murmur?? We don't see the cardiologist until Jan. 5, 2005 and I think I am going to go crazy waiting to find out if he truly has this defect. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!:)

HI I have had two children of my own with ASD's my daughter's was closed surgically, while my son's was close via heart cath with a newer device. By now you have seent he cardiologist, please email me and feel free to ask any thing you want to know, I have had plenty of experience with on both ends of the spectrum.

[email protected]