How long can an infant with down syndrome & eisenmenger live? the vsd is still very open. are there effective treatments?

Varies: With new meds available and improved quality of care, patients with eisenmenger can live into third and fourth decade, but there are many variables. They can also become very sick and progress pretty quickly. Have they confirmed that the "infant" has irreversible pulmonary hypertension? Discuss with you peds cardiologist so they can give you a better idea about the expected prognosis and outcome.

Depends on age: Infants, even with down syndrome, rarely develop irreversible changes in the lungs. If the child is less than 6 months old, then the vsd should almost certainly be closed as soon as possible! if the child is older than 6 months, then a cardiac catheterization with testing of the pulmonary blood vessels response to oxygen and Nitric Oxide would likely be warranted for decision making and prognosis.

Depends: Trisomy 21 with a vsd and eisenmenger's has, unfortunately, a poor prognosis. The length of survival is variable and depends on the severity of the pulmonary hypertension as well as any other conditions. Treatments depend on those factors as well. Please discuss your child's specific prognosis with your cardiologist.

Complex malformation: your child has a complex heart malformation. You should consult a pediatric cardiovascular surgeon for the options for heart surgery. There are important changes in what can be done as time passes.