sons abnormal ekg

Question

my son had an ekg 2 days ago the dr said it was abnormal b/c part of the test high exreamly  high spikes any ideas on why. he holds his breath and passes out his dad also has a ventricular septic defect

grendslori · Accepted Answer

Hello,
 You do not say how old your son is; is he a toddler or child or teen? Have you been referred to a pediatric cardiologist yet? Has he only had an EKG or has he also had an Echo done? It would help to know this information as EKGs change as the child growns older. There are several reasons your son may have high spikes, everything from drug issues (medicines) to something called cardiomyopathy. His father having a VSD, doesn't have a relationship to this problem. You need to deal with his holding his breath; he is doing something called "Valsalva " which is something patients are taught to do if their heart rates go too high; it stops the heartbeat for a few seconds. If your son has a heart condition, this is NOT a good thing for him to be doing and could potentially be dangerous. If your son is involved in sports, until he has had a full evaluation, you may want to pull him from the sports until he sees a pediatric cardiologist.

grendslori · Answer

Hello again. The first thing you have to realize is thaqt children act out this way because it gets them the attention they are craving. They want something and figure that throwing a temper tantrum what they want will be forthcoming. When my daughter was two (I am now a grandmother of 3) she decided to throw a temper tantrum so my husband threw the same tantrum standing right next to her. She was so taken back by what she saw him doing that she never threw another tantrum again. Go figure! Consider this....he wants your reaction so try just turning around and walking away into another room. What he is doing is normal for a toddler; they all throw tantrums when they doing get their own way. How YOU react to that tantrum will either help to stop them or it will help to keep them going in the future. Parents panic when a child holds his breath and passes out; the truth is that there isn't much harm done at all because as soon as the child passes out, he starts to breathe again. If your son has tried this a few times, what harm has come to him as far as you can see? He probably woke back up and started playing again. Any heart issue should certainly be looked at, you are his mother and mothers are blessed with a STRONG instinct for their children's well being. If you feel it is better to give in to your son UNTIL he is evaluated by the cardiologist, then do just that, but understand that doing this could take you to places you don't want to go in the future if this continues after he is evaluated. When you see the cardiologist, tell him about your son's behaviour and ask him about how to handle it. When my own daughter was 8, I was told to "take her home and spoil her; let her have what childhood she has left". I'm glad I never took that piece of advice! She grew up and got a new heart when she was 22! Children are experts when it comes to manipulating their parents, they are also experts and reading their parent's faces. Your concern is what your toddler is seeing, don't let him see it or he will become anxious himself over every little thing. That anxiety, if it becomes bad enough will cost him his childhood, even more than the heart problem, if he has one. You never said the reason you actually had the EKG done....what happened for the doctor to do this test in the first place? Let us know how things are going for you; we are here as a support for you and your family so come back anytime you feel the need. Take care

leslie1220 · Answer

he is 17 months old we r going to nationwide childrens hospital for an echo. i just worry about him holding his breath if he does have a heart condition its very scary to me i have never dealt with any of this before. just need some insight into why or some answers to the abnormal ekg thank you and any other ideas would be nice thank you..