vsd (heart condition)

DHuynh115 · May 2011

Our sweet lil man was born on the 12th of May and we are so grateful for him. We found out he had a vsd (ventricular septal defect) on his second day of life. They heard a murmur which we heard was normal. They did a x-ray and then did an echo. When we were discharged we were told he had a vsd and that he would need to go see a pediatric cardiologist. We went to go see the pediatric cardiologist when he was 8 days old. They did an ekg and we were told that his vsd is 4mm (a pretty moderate size; not small) and in a membranous area which would make it more difficult to close on its own. He has difficulty breathing (you can see that it is labored) and they said it is from the hole. The dr said that we wont know what will happen until the 2 month mark when the pressure levels of his heart will change to that of a normal person (newborns are different). They said depending on if the hoe closes on its own he will start showing signs of congestive heart failure. I was/am devastated. I just wanted to ask my fellow may mamas to pray for our lil man and see if anyone has any experience with vsd's esp this size and a membranous one. I heard the heart surgery is really successful but just wanted to know if anyone knows any info on this kind of situation. thanks Ladies!

SLSeibert1 · May 2011

Sending lots of thoughts and prayers that your little sweetie heals on his own!

kck329 · May 2011

Sending you lots of thoughts and prayers.

One of my friends in the NICU's preemie had a VSD (its pretty common for preemies to have heart issues). She had the surgery to close the hole and is doing a million times better. You may want to repost on special needs or even the preemie board for some tips/what to expect.

Good luck, I know how scary it is to have a sick baby!

nickelbabi · May 2011

My LO was born with 3 small vsds. It is my understanding that a medium sized vsd is very treatable. I know it is scary to think your baby may need surgery, but it is much better to have it taken care of when they are an infant, if it's necessary. My 6 y/o nephew has had two open heart surgeries this year for multiple issues and some of them could have been resolved more easily if they had been discovered when he was younger. I will be thinking of you and your LO and praying his vsd closes up on its own!

fluffybuns · May 2011

So sorry to hear this!

Our babies share a birthday : )

My sister-in-law had to have the surgery done when she was about 15 months old. She did very well with the surgery and never needed any other surgeries since that one.

I hope for your sake that it just closes on it's own!