Treatment:

Older children with symptoms may have blood removed from the body (phlebotomy) to reduce the number of red blood cells, and then receive fluids to replace the lost blood (volume replacement).

Children may receive oxygen, although it is unclear whether it helps to prevent the disease from getting worse. Children with very severe symptoms may need a heart-lung transplant.

Expectations (prognosis):

How well the infant or child does depends on whether another medical condition is present, and the age at which high blood pressure develops in the lungs. Patients with this condition can live 20 to 50 years.

Complications:

• Bleeding (hemorrhage) in the brain
• Congestive heart failure
• Gout
• Heart attack
• Hyperviscosity (sludging of the blood because it is too thick with blood cells)
• Infection (abscess) in the brain
• Kidney failure
• Poor blood flow to the brain
• Stroke
• Sudden death

Calling your health care provider:

Call your health care provider if your infant develops symptoms of Eisenmenger syndrome.