What is Ventricular septal defect
Ventricular septal defect describes one or more holes in the wall
that separates the right and left ventricles of the heart.
Ventricular septal defect is one of the most common congenital
(present from birth) heart defects. It may occur by itself or with
other congenital diseases.
Causes Before a baby is born, the right and left ventricles of
its heart are not separate. As the fetus grows, a wall forms to
separate these two ventricles. If the wall does not completely
form, a hole remains. This hole is known as a ventricular septal
defect, or a VSD.
Ventricular septal defect is one of the most common congenital
heart defects. The baby may have no symptoms, and the hole can
eventually close as the wall continues to grow after birth. If the
hole is large, too much blood will be pumped to the lungs, leading
to heart failure.
The cause of VSD is not yet known. This defect often occurs along
with other congenital heart defects.
In adults, ventricular septal defects are a rare but serious
complication of heart attacks. These holes are related to heart
attacks and do not result from a birth defect.
Symptoms Patients with ventricular septal defects may not have
symptoms. However, if the hole is large, symptoms, the baby often
has symptoms related to heart failure.
The most common symptoms include:
Shortness of breath
Fast breathing
Hard breathing
Paleness
Failure to gain weight
Fast heart rate
Sweating while feeding
Frequent respiratory infections
Exams and Tests
Listening with a stethoscope usually reveals a heart murmur (the
sound of the blood crossing the hole). The loudness of the murmur
is related to the size of the defect and amount of blood crossing
the defect.
Tests may include:
Chest x-ray -- looks to see if there is a large heart with fluid
in the lungs
ECGECG -- shows signs of an enlarged left ventricle
EchocardiogramEchocardiogram -- used to make a definite diagnosis
Cardiac catheterizationCardiac catheterization (rarely needed,
unless there are concerns of high blood pressure in the lungs)
MRI of the heart -- used to find out how much blood is getting to
the lungs
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