Ventricular septal defect

Disease	Injury	Nutrition	Poison

Special Topic	Surgery	Symptoms	Test

Heart, section through the middle

Heart, front view

Ventricular septal defect

Ventricular septal defect

Alternative Names:

VSD; Interventricular septal defect

Treatment:

In mild cases, no treatment is needed, although the baby should be closely followed to ensure that the hole closes properly as the child grows. With congestive heart failure, medications, such as digitalis (digoxin) and diuretics, may be prescribed to control symptoms.

If symptoms persist despite optimal medical management, surgical closure of the defect with a Gore-tex patch is indicated. Treatment of asymptomatic defects is controversial so it should be carefully discussed with your health care provider.

Expectations (prognosis):

Many small defects will close on their own. For those defects that do not spontaneously close, the outcome is good with surgical repair. Complications may result if a large defect is not treated.

Complications:

congestive heart failure
infective endocarditis (bacterial infection of the heart)
aortic insufficiency (leaking of the valve that separates the left ventricle from the aorta)
damage to the electrical conduction system of the heart during surgery (causing arrhythmias)
delayed growth and development (failure to thrive in infancy)
pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the lungs) leading to failure of the right side of the heart

Calling your health care provider:

Most often, this condition is diagnosed during routine examination of an infant. Call your infant's health care provider if the baby seems to be having difficulty breathing, or if the baby seems to have an unusual number of respiratory infections.

Review Date: 5/22/2002
Reviewed By: Satish K. Rajagopal, M.D., Department of Pediatrics, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, The Children's Hospital of New York, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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