Ventricular septal defect refers to a defect in the ventricular septum, the wall dividing the left and right ventricles of the heart.

Written by Zhang Zhi Gong
Cardiothoracic Surgery
Updated on September 21, 2024
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A normal human heart is divided into four chambers: the left ventricle, right ventricle, left atrium, and right atrium. The circulation in a normal person involves venous blood entering the right atrium, passing through the mitral valve into the right ventricle. The right ventricle then contracts and pumps blood into the lungs. After exchanging gases and becoming oxygenated, the blood turns bright red. It then returns to the left atrium. From the left atrium, blood passes through the mitral valve back into the left ventricle, and then the left ventricle contracts and pumps blood throughout the body. Therefore, there is a thick wall between the normal left and right ventricles, known as the ventricular septum. If due to congenital heart disease or other reasons, a small hole appears in the ventricular septum, it is called a ventricular septal defect. If this defect is large, it necessitates active surgical treatment because if the defect exists, the pressure of the blood flow in the left ventricle is higher, causing a large amount of abnormal blood to enter the right ventricle. This leads to a significant accumulation of blood in the right ventricle, causing the patient to have too much blood in the pulmonary circulation, making the patient prone to recurrent colds and infections. Furthermore, these children may easily develop heart failure and even life-threatening conditions such as infective endocarditis.

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Written by Zhang Zhi Gong
Cardiothoracic Surgery
1min 10sec home-news-image

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.

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Written by Di Zhi Yong
Cardiology
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If a ventricular septal defect is not surgically repaired, what will happen?

If the patient has a history of congenital heart disease, especially ventricular septal defect, it can lead to symptoms such as palpitations and chest tightness. The current recommendation for treatment is primarily symptomatic management; however, it is also advised that patients seek early surgical intervention at a hospital. Medical treatment or drug therapy often does not yield ideal results for this condition, and surgical intervention is necessary to address these symptoms. Currently, minimally invasive surgical treatment can be used. If the patient does not undergo surgery, conditions such as palpitations, chest tightness, and difficulty breathing can occur at any time.

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Written by Di Zhi Yong
Cardiology
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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.

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Written by Di Zhi Yong
Cardiology
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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.

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Written by Xie Zhi Hong
Cardiology
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Will being overweight affect the surgery for a ventricular septal defect?

Ventricular septal defect surgery is performed by puncturing the right femoral vein, guiding the catheter into the inferior vena cava, through the atria and ventricles, and reaching the defect via the right ventricle. The occluder can then be delivered through the catheter into the left ventricle, where the umbrella is opened, followed by opening it in the right ventricle; this describes the surgical process. Therefore, generally speaking, the surgical process is not affected in most patients who are obese. However, severe obesity can impact the accuracy of vascular localization during puncture by the surgeon. Secondly, if complications such as anesthesia issues or other emergencies arise during the surgery, severely obese patients may experience a reduced success rate in emergency surgical interventions, hence it is recommended that patients control their weight. Furthermore, severe obesity can exacerbate the cardiac load originally induced by the ventricular septal defect, thus affecting the surgical tolerance in patients whose cardiac function is already compromised by the defect. It is recommended that these patients control their weight.