Pediatric Cardiology expert Please

[dadofindia02]

my daughter was born 4 days ago and weight 7.10 oz and 20 in height.  everything looked and seemed fine expect the nurse said her one heart beat within 30 secs (she took to determine heart beat per min) is higher then others. so she consulted with the doc and ordered the ECho and EKG.  both came back mostly fine expect MILD right atrial enlargement, dilated right ventricle(mild), dilated pulmonary arteries, PDA (small) and small secundum atrial septal defect vs. PFO (which I assume means they are not sure which diagnosis is true between the two).  Lastly, PDA, left to right shunt, small again.  

should we bw concerned, and because our daughter is only 4 days old, isn't her heart still developing and possibly PDA and PFO will close on its own sooner than later?

what should we ask at the pediatric cardiologist meeting? any particular treatments be considered? or strategies or natural foods/diets considered to achieve a fully healthy heart?    

[dadofindia02]

Thanks for your comments!

Any concerns of long term heart safety based on above info and possible higher load on left part of heart?

Also, in your opinion wht typically causes diliated pulmonary arteries in new borns?

Thanks again for ur time and knowledge!

[Jeffrey R Boris, M.D.]

Dear Dad of India,

Without evaluating your daughter and these studies, I cannot say exactly if there is a problem, or not.  I can say that, in newborns, there is often a little right sided enlargement of the atrium and ventricle, as the pressure across the lungs is higher as a newborn, then drops over time.  A PDA and PFO are both normal findings in a newborn.  They spontaneously resolve, although a PFO can persist in up to 25% of adults.  It may be too soon to tell if the PFO is a small ASD (actual defect), but either way, it sounds small and likely to not cause a problem.

The bigger question is if there is some other issue that is causing dilation of the pulmonary arteries, like high blood pressure across the lungs.  Your cardiologist should be able to assess that and let you know.

From a natural foods/diet standpoint, the answer is that there are no special foods or different diets necessary.  As in any child, no sugary drinks, limit junk food, etc.  As long as the diet is balanced in appropriate nutrients and does not have high unnecessary fat content, you should be fine.