Does a ventricular septal defect easily cause choking on milk?

Written by Di Zhi Yong
Cardiology
Updated on December 21, 2024
00:00
00:00

Ventricular septal defect can lead to choking on milk, as it can cause pathological murmurs in children, especially prominent in the chest area, which is a type of congenital heart disease. Currently, early surgical treatment is recommended for these children. The choking on milk might be due to reasons related to the digestive system, but it is still somewhat related to the ventricular septal defect. It is also advised to eat smaller, more frequent meals to avoid choking or aspiration, which can lead to bronchitis or recurrent respiratory infections.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
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.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Zhi Gong
Cardiothoracic Surgery
1min 19sec home-news-image

Symptoms of ventricular septal defect

The main symptoms of a ventricular septal defect depend on the size of the defect and the age of the patient. Generally, smaller ventricular septal defects, such as those measuring only one to two millimeters, result in very little shunting from the left ventricular system to the right ventricular system. This is akin to a tiny amount of air seeping through a crack in a window or door. In such cases, the patient typically does not exhibit noticeable symptoms. However, if the defect is larger, over five millimeters, a significant amount of blood passes from the left ventricular system into the right ventricular system, which can cause substantial congestion in the right or both lungs of the right ventricular system, or lead to recurrent respiratory infections and congestive heart failure. The affected individual may show disinterest in eating, feeding difficulties, and delayed development. As the patient grows older, they may exhibit reduced activity endurance, fatigue or palpitations, and shortness of breath. Gradually, cyanosis and right heart failure may develop. Additionally, patients are at risk of developing infective endocarditis, fever without symptoms, and recurring fever.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Xie Zhi Hong
Cardiology
45sec home-news-image

Is ventricular septal defect related to premature birth?

Generally, premature birth is not related to ventricular septal defect. Although a premature infant is born early, their heart structure, lungs, and other body structures are normal. Ventricular septal defect is often caused by a developmental disorder of the septum during the fetal period, manifesting as left-to-right or right-to-left shunting. Generally, patients with a simple ventricular septal defect can survive normally. They can be completely cured through interventional treatment or surgical surgery, so there is no need to worry excessively. There is no direct connection between ventricular septal defect and premature birth.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Chen Tian Hua
Cardiology
48sec home-news-image

What are the complications of ventricular septal defect?

The complications of ventricular septal defect mainly include the following: 1. Causes infective endocarditis, with the highest incidence occurring between the ages of 15 and 29; 2. Leads to aortic valve insufficiency; 3. Causes conductive blockages; 4. Leads to heart failure, and can even lead to Eisenmenger syndrome. Therefore, patients with ventricular septal defects should actively complete examinations such as echocardiography. If there are indications for surgery, they should promptly visit a cardiac surgeon for active surgical treatment to correct the anatomical abnormalities of the ventricular septal defect and prevent the condition from worsening and leading to serious consequences.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Di Zhi Yong
Cardiology
43sec home-news-image

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.