Common questions

Can VSD be corrected?

Can VSD be corrected?

Ventricular septal defect (VSD) surgery is a type of heart surgery. It’s done to correct a hole between the left and right ventricles of the heart. The heart has 4 chambers: 2 upper (atria) and 2 lower (ventricles).

How is a VSD repaired?

VSD transcatheter repair uses a flexible tube called a catheter. This tube contains a small device, often shaped like an umbrella. The healthcare provider threads the tube through a blood vessel in the groin and into the heart, next to the wall between the ventricles.

What is the recommended treatment for VSD?

Surgical treatment for ventricular septal defect involves plugging or patching the abnormal opening between the ventricles. If you or your child is having surgery to repair a ventricular defect, consider having surgery performed by surgeons and cardiologists with training and expertise in conducting these procedures.

Is VSD a serious heart condition?

A small ventricular septal defect may never cause any problems. Medium or large defects can cause a range of disabilities — from mild to life-threatening. Treatment can prevent many complications.

What happens if VSD goes untreated?

If left untreated, a large VSD can cause pulmonary hypertension, which can lead to lung disease. Rarely, a VSD can lead to an infection in the heart, called bacterial endocarditis.

Is VSD genetic?

The genetic etiology of VSD is complex and extraordinarily heterogenous. Chromosomal abnormalities such as aneuploidy and structural variations as well as rare point mutations in various genes have been reported to be associated with this cardiac defect.

What can VSD lead to?

Without treatment, heart failure can develop. Pulmonary hypertension. Increased blood flow to the lungs due to the VSD causes high blood pressure in the lung arteries (pulmonary hypertension), which can permanently damage them. This complication can cause reversal of blood flow through the hole (Eisenmenger syndrome).

What should I do if I have a VSD?

VSD patients should consult their cardiologists regarding the need for antibiotics. Most people whose VSDs were repaired in childhood don’t have any long-term heart problems. However, some may require continuous treatment with diuretics and blood pressure medications to help the heart pump better.

What does VSD stand for in medical terms?

A ventricular septal defect (VSD) is a congenital heart defect. This means that your baby is born with it. A VSD is an opening or hole in the dividing wall (septum) between the 2 lower chambers of the heart (right and left ventricles).

How is a ventricular septal defect ( VSD ) treated?

In this non-surgical, investigational procedure, a long, thin tube (a catheter) is inserted into a blood vessel in the groin and guided to the area of the heart defect. Working through the catheter, the interventionalist closes the defect using a closure device.

When do you need prophylaxis for an unrepaired VSD?

Unrepaired VSDs don’t require endocarditis prophylaxis, according to the most recent recommendations of the American Heart Association. After the VSD is successfully closed, preventive treatment is needed only during a six-month healing period.

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