Anyone's dc had a heart echo?

[greenlawn]

Not really sure what it involves. DS3 has a murmur picked up when he was a few days old, they initially said it would "almost certainly" disappear but it didn't, so he is apparently being referred to a different hospital (Harefield apparently) for an echo.

Apart from that we've been given zero info. I've looked up some stuff about murmurs, but there's so much info its not really helpful until we know if its due to a defect or not. Any idea how long you normally have to wait for the referral? How long does it take and will it be distressing for a small baby? Thanks.

An ecocardiogram is a bit like an ultrasound scan you have when you are pregnant,but of the heart.

Dunno how long waiting lists are etc,or much about paed ones..If you google "Ecocardiogram in babies" it may help??xx

DS had an echocardiogram when he was 3 - I think we had to wait a couple of months for the referral IIRC, but the other tests he'd already had made them think it was probably innocent so I don't think we were seen as "urgent". It wasn't unpleasant - just like the ultrasound on your bump, though I guess a baby might squirm around which might make it a bit trickier. I think it took about 15 minutes to do, but it was a long time ago so I can't swear to it.

We also didn't get the all-clear immediately - the guy doing it was recording it, and it had to be watched by the consultant before we got the official feedback, but that was just a couple of days later.

My dd2 had a murmur first detected at her 6 week check. We were seen by a paediatrician about a month later and then had an ecg and echo a couple of weeks after that. We were first seen by the cardiologist when she was 7 months old. Dd2's murmur is caused by pulmonary stenosis - her pulmonary artery is slightly narrower than it should be. She is now nearly 8 and has always been entirely symptom free. Growth etc perfectly normal, as is her exercise capacity.
Congenital heart defects are relatively common - something like 1 in a 100 I think? Don't google - you'll just terrify yourself! My dd has now had several echos and it's never bothered her -in fact it tickles a bit.

greenlawn - my dd has had masses of Echos. How old is ds3?

The test itself is simply an ultrasound of the heart; it's only distressing in that young babies generally don't like the gel or having to lie still. If you can feed just before the test they will sometimes fall asleep as it can be quite relaxing once they get started. A simple echo takes around 20 minutes a more complex one up to an hour and a half. At the appointment they will will do his weight and usually an ECG too. After the tests you normally go to see the cardiologists for the results.

As to how long the referral take. Hmm how long is a piece of string? Is ds otherwise well? Feeding and gaining weight? It will depend on how urgent the referral is considered. Very urgent you would go for the test same day, otherwise anything up to a few weeks.

Good luck with it and give me a shout if you need to know anything else. You too Celia. And remember, as NL says, many murmurs are completely innocent (not relating to a structural defect) and even some of those that are don't require surgery.

Thank you all for the info, that's reassuring. He is 4 weeks and feeding and growing well. No signs of ill-health, he does grunt and puff a bit when feeding, but doesn't seem to be bothered by it. We're not overly concerned at the moment, but were a bit unhappy that at the initial appointment with the paediatrician we were told no cause for concern at all, and then at the subsequent test they seemed a bit more concerned. He has had an ekg (?) already, it was fine.

Oh well, let's see how it goes. My ds1 had to have an mri at 2 weeks old and I was very worried about it but he seemed to actually enjoy it! All the best. x