Are there any recommendations for secondary prevention?
Dr. Atkins: Secondary prevention actually begins before the mother becomes pregnant and then continues on during the early months of the pregnancy. It’s very important for the mother to try and avoid some certain potential substances, things like alcohol (which we know is related to congenital heart disease). There’s an increase incidence of birth defects when the mother is smoking. We always caution mothers to talk to their physicians about certain drugs that she might take during pregnancy. A good diet is probably very good, especially supplementation with the vitamin called Folate. IN SUMMARY Dr. Atkins: If my newborn had a murmur, I would expect that a pediatric cardiologist would be asked to evaluate the infant. Certain tests would be obtained that would include: chest x ray, electrocardiogram, and an echocardiogram (an ultrasound of the heart). And then a very specific diagnosis, in terms of the possible potential birth defect that is present. And then I would expect, obviously,
