Is It Possible To Detect Congenital Heart Disease With A Stethoscope?
Question: my grandson passed away at the age of 7 days. the autopsy said he had 2 holes in his heart. one pinpoint and one 0.3 x0.8 cm. the doctor in delivery never listened to his heart. could this been detected by a stethoscope?
Brief Answer:
Sorry for your loss
Detailed Answer:
Hello
Thanks for the query
I am extremely sorry for your loss. It looks like your grandson had a cyanotic heart disease which lead to his early demise. Most congenital heart disease have characteristic murmurs which can be heard with a stethoscope but if one is not careful it can be missed because the infants usually have a fast heart rate.
However I must add here that purple finger nails are not normal and it signifies cyanosis ( reduced oxygen supply to the peripheries)
I hope I was of help, if you have any further queries please get back to me
Regards
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar