open oval windowPatent oval window.Parents of approximately one baby out of three hundred hear such a diagnosis. Such a diagnosis is made based on an ultrasound examination of the child's heart. Of course, any mother and father will be simply stunned when they hear such a diagnosis from a doctor. They have dozens of different worries and questions, for example, why did this happen, can it go away on its own and how soon, what could be the consequences, who is to blame and what to do? And this anxiety of parents is absolutely understandable and natural - after all, the child's health is always in the first place for any father and mother. I would like to immediately reassure parents - there is no need to engage in self-flagellation, because it is simply impossible to foresee the possibility of the development of such an anomaly in advance, even with all the great desire. And secondly, no matter how unpleasant this pathology is, it does not pose a direct threat to the child's life.

What is an open oval window?

The doctor should give parents detailed information aboutall the nuances of this cardiac anomaly. However, in practice, unfortunately, this is not always the case. For some reason, many doctors mistakenly believe that parents do not need this information. And parents are either in excruciating ignorance, or independently try to find information in various sources, sometimes not entirely correct. This article was written for such parents. After reading it, you will have enough information that will allow you to have an accurate idea of ​​​​what exactly is happening to your child and how you can help him. So, what is an open oval window? Doctors call this term a cardiac anomaly in which either fully or partially, but the communication between the right and left atrium, which exists in any child during intrauterine development, is preserved. Blood supply to a child during intrauterine development occurs with the participation of a wide oval window in the heart. After the baby is born and takes its first breath, the pressure between the atria changes radically. With proper development of the child, the edges of the wide oval window grow together with the edges of the valve. By about six months of age, the oval window closes completely in about half of all babies. In another 30% of children, the oval window closes by the end of the first year of life. In all other cases, the closure of the oval window can occur completely spontaneously, and at any time. According to medical statistics and observations of cardiologists, approximately 15 percent of adults are also diagnosed with an open oval window.

Symptoms of this pathology

As a rule, in the vast majority of casesThe presence of an open oval window in a child does not manifest itself with any symptoms. It is detected in most cases completely by chance, during a routine ultrasound examination. However, there are still several nuances by which an experienced pediatrician may suspect that the child may have this cardiac pathology:

  • In the event that, under physical exertion, aalso coughing or crying, the child has even a very slightly pronounced cyanosis. For reference: cyanosis refers to the acquisition of the skin of the lips or nasolabial triangle, as well as any mucous membranes of a cyanotic shade.
  • Frequent diseases of the child colds, or inflammatory diseases of the respiratory system - bronchus or lungs.
  • Slowing down the normal rates of physical development, especially pronounced.
  • Inability of the child to any physical exertion, especially if there is a respiratory insufficiency.
  • The child systematically loses consciousness, or he has symptoms of cerebral circulation.

If the doctor has any suspicions about an open oval window, he will definitely send the child for an ultrasound examination of the heart and a consultation with a cardiologist.

Two views on one problem

There are two points of view of doctors on the problemopen oval window in children. Supporters of one version are firmly convinced that an open oval window is an absolutely harmless phenomenon that does not require absolutely any attention from a doctor - a cardiologist. And even more so, it should not become a cause for concern and panic for parents. Supporters of this point of view believe that with this cardiac anomaly, hemodynamics are not disturbed. And accordingly, surgical intervention for the purpose of correction does not make any justified sense. Supporters of another point of view believe that such a cardiac anomaly eloquently indicates that a child with an open oval window has a much higher risk of developing conditions that pose a threat to the child's life, for example, embolism. However, as practice shows, in children with an open oval window, such a complication occurs no more often than in healthy children. The only case in which the risk of developing such complications really increases significantly is if the child is professionally involved in one or another sport. This happens because both psycho-emotional and physical loads significantly exceed those prescribed for the child by age norms. And another case in which the risk of complications of an open oval window may increase is if the child, among other things, has such a heart anomaly as an aneurysm of the interatrial septum. In this case, the probability of cardioembolic complications increases by at least 50%.

What to do?

So, the doctor performed all the necessaryexamination of the child, on the basis of which an accurate diagnosis was made: "open oval window". The most important question that parents and a cardiologist need to discuss is what to do next? What measures will the doctor take, and what should be the parents' line of behavior if the baby is diagnosed with this heart pathology? As a rule, the doctor chooses the following tactics for managing such a small patient. The child must be constantly under the strict supervision of a cardiologist. Parents must maintain close contact with the cardiologist, informing him of all, even very minor, changes in the child's condition. About once a year, the child must undergo an examination that will help establish the exact size of the oval window. In the event that the size of the oval window begins to decrease, the doctor will continue to take a wait-and-see policy. Sooner or later, in such cases, the oval window completely closes on its own. In the same case, if for some reason this does not happen over a long period of time, the doctor may decide on the need for surgical intervention, the purpose of which is to artificially close the window. I would like to once again urge moms and dads whose children have been diagnosed with an open oval window to remain calm. Panic is never a good helper! We recommend reading:

Comments

comments

Also read:

Pertussis: symptoms, treatment, complications and preventive measures Hypoallergenic Diet - A Way to Fight Allergies Herpes in children: treatment, as well as manifestations and symptoms of childhood herpes How to teach a child to brush his teeth correctly? Why does a newborn baby hiccup? Causes of hiccups in infants Atopic dermatitis in children: treatment with folk remedies