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Ventricular septal defect
The difference between ventricular septal defect and atrial septal defect
The difference between a ventricular septal defect and an atrial septal defect mainly lies in their locations. A normal heart is divided into four chambers, which are the left ventricle, right ventricle, left atrium, and right atrium. Each chamber is separated by a septum, much like walls between rooms in a house. Due to certain reasons, such as congenital heart defects, there may be openings or defects in these walls, known as septal defects. An atrial septal defect refers to a defect between the right atrium and the left atrium, whereas a ventricular septal defect pertains to a defect between the left and right ventricles. The murmur of atrial septal defects is relatively softer, as the pressure difference between the atria is smaller, and the defect is located higher up. In contrast, the murmur of ventricular septal defects is louder due to the greater pressure difference between the ventricles and is located lower down, approximately between the third and fourth ribs. The murmur of atrial septal defects is found between the second and third ribs. Moreover, since the pressure difference in ventricular septal defects is greater, the impact on the heart is relatively more significant.
What are the symptoms of ventricular septal defect?
What are the symptoms of a ventricular septal defect? In normal individuals, there are no defects between the ventricular septa. However, if there is a small ventricular septal defect, such as less than five millimeters, typically ranging between two to three millimeters, this minor defect functions like small gaps between normal windows and doors, causing minimal shunting which generally does not significantly impact the patient, resulting in no obvious symptoms. However, if the defect is relatively large, such as exceeding five millimeters, causing significant left ventricular blood to shunt to the right ventricle, it can lead to congestion in the right ventricular system or pulmonary circulation. Under such conditions, patients may frequently experience respiratory infections, congestive heart failure, or in children, reluctance to eat, presenting feeding difficulties and developmental delays. Of course, if the defect continues to enlarge, achieving a size larger than the patient's aorta, the patient may show signs of significant right heart failure due to the damaged ventricular septum, necessitating emergency surgical intervention.
What should be noted for an atrial septal defect with patent foramen ovale?
If the patient presents with a ventricular septal defect or a patent foramen ovale, it is important to maintain a healthy diet and particularly to prevent upper respiratory infections, as these conditions are types of congenital heart disease. They mainly lead to repeated respiratory infections, cyanosis, or lung infections, resulting in changes associated with congenital heart disease. For a ventricular septal defect, early surgical intervention is currently recommended. Patent foramen ovale is also treated surgically. During this period, it is important to monitor changes in the child's height and weight, as such diseases can affect the child's growth and development.
Interventricular septal defect X-ray manifestation
X-ray Manifestations of Ventricular Septal Defect. These are mainly related to the size of the defect. If the ventricular septal defect is relatively small, for example less than three millimeters, the amount of blood shunted from the left ventricle to the right ventricular system is minimal. Consequently, right ventricular congestion is not pronounced, making pulmonary congestion also less obvious. At this point, the X-ray may show no significant changes. However, if the defect is larger, greater than three millimeters, for instance five millimeters, a large volume of high-pressure blood from the left ventricle will flow excessively through the defect into the right ventricular system. This leads to significant congestion in the right ventricle and, thus, in the entire pulmonary circulation. Additionally, the X-ray will show a prominent pulmonary artery segment and increased pulmonary blood flow. Moreover, over time, this condition may lead to compensatory enlargement of the left ventricular system. On the X-ray, enlargement of both the right and left ventricles can be observed. Furthermore, due to sustained high pressure, the distal pulmonary arteries may show signs of severe pulmonary vascular disease on the X-ray, resembling a broken book. This indicates that the pulmonary circulation has reached an end-stage condition.
Causes of hoarseness due to ventricular septal defect.
If a patient exhibits some ventricular septal defects, it is possible for hoarseness to occur, as this condition is a type of congenital heart disease. If a patient frequently experiences hoarseness, it might be caused by congenital heart disease, but chronic pharyngitis or laryngitis, which can also cause hoarseness, should not be ruled out. Additionally, conditions like vocal cord polyps or deeper diseases can lead to hoarseness. However, it is important to differentiate these from normal diseases. If the issue is solely a ventricular septal defect, surgical treatment can be recommended for the patient, which can achieve a complete cure. Attention should also be paid to maintaining a healthy diet.
Can an 8mm ventricular septal defect heal by itself?
The ventricular septal defect is 8 millimeters, which is considered a medium-sized defect. This type of defect is relatively large and will not heal on its own. Moreover, this ventricular septal defect requires timely surgical treatment, and close observation is needed in daily life. If the child is prone to catching colds, leading to repeated pneumonia, then prompt surgical treatment is necessary without delay. If the child's growth and development are not affected and there are no repeated incidents of pneumonia, close monitoring can be considered. Surgery to repair the ventricular septal defect can be considered after the child reaches two years of age. Otherwise, if delayed, it may lead to heart failure and complications such as pulmonary hypertension, severely affecting the quality of life and endangering the patient's safety.
Can people with ventricular septal defect swim?
If the patient has a ventricular septal defect, swimming can lead to ischemia and hypoxia, and thus, it is not advisable for the patient to swim. If symptoms such as palpitations or breathing difficulties occur, this can be very dangerous, and I would personally advise against going into the water. It is also crucial to actively treat this congenital heart disease. I suggest that the patient should undergo a cardiac echocardiography at a hospital for a clearer diagnosis. Currently, the treatment mainly focuses on symptomatic treatment, and it is recommended that the patient considers surgical options to alleviate the suffering and improve the condition. During this period, attention should also be paid to a healthy diet, especially avoiding spicy and stimulating foods.
Why does a ventricular septal defect cause respiratory infections?
Because ventricular septal defect is a type of congenital heart disease, it mainly leads to pulmonary infections in children, often causing respiratory infections. If this condition is not treated in time, it can worsen the symptoms, decrease the child's resistance, and lead to frequent respiratory diseases. Early surgical treatment is recommended to improve the child's symptoms. It is also important to monitor the child's breathing, heart rate, and pulse changes, and it is advisable to regularly revisit the hospital for an echocardiogram. Early surgical treatment is recommended as it can completely cure the disease.
Can girls with ventricular septal defect have children?
Because ventricular septal defect is a type of congenital heart disease, it is currently recommended that patients undergo surgical treatment. With active treatment, this disease can be cured. Once cured, the patient's symptoms will subside, and no murmur can be heard in the precordial area, and it is possible to choose to have children in this situation. If this condition is not dealt with promptly, it is not recommended to have children. This is because it can cause an excessive load on the heart, especially when the blood volume increases, leading to occurrences of ischemia and hypoxia, which are very dangerous. If treated, especially within a year after surgery, it is possible to consider having children, but there are certain risks.
Does a ventricular septal defect affect development?
Does a ventricular septal defect affect development? For relatively small ventricular septal defects, such as those under five millimeters, the shunt from the left ventricle to the right ventricle is minimal, hence patients may not exhibit noticeable symptoms. However, if the defect is larger, for instance, over five millimeters, a large volume of blood will flow from the left ventricle into the right ventricular system. This causes congestion in the right ventricular system and the pulmonary circulation will be flooded with blood. As the saying goes, "flowing water does not rot, nor do door hinges become worm-eaten"; however, when a large amount of blood accumulates in the pulmonary vessels, patients are prone to recurrent respiratory infections and even congestive right heart failure, which then leads to feeding difficulties. Patients feel consistently uncomfortable and have difficulty breathing, so they may be reluctant to eat, especially in young children who need considerable effort to drink milk, which requires some breath-holding. At this time, patients experience feeding difficulties, which equates to developmental delays. Therefore, larger ventricular septal defects can affect a child's development. Small defects, such as those under three millimeters, might not affect development, but larger defects do impact development and thus require timely treatment.