What Is a Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD)?

A ventral septal defect, more commonly known as a ventricular septal defect (VSD), is a hole between your heart’s lower chambers, or ventricles. The defect can occur anywhere in the muscle that divides the two sides of the heart.

有不同类型的VSD。较小的缺陷可能不会在没有任何治疗的情况下关闭，不会引起任何长期影响。通常可以通过手术来修复自己的缺陷。

According to the 美国国立卫生研究院的 , VSDs are one of the most common congenital birth defects.

在某些孩子中，VSD不会引起任何症状。如果他们心脏中的孔很小，那么可能没有问题的迹象。

如果存在症状，它们通常包括：

  • 呼吸困难
  • 快速呼吸
  • 浅色的肤色
  • frequent respiratory infections
  • a bluish skin color, especially around the lips and fingernails

It’s also often difficult for babies with a VSD to gain weight, and they may experience profuse sweating during feeding. All of these symptoms can be very dangerous and if your baby or child develops any of these symptoms, contact your doctor immediately.

The most common cause of a VSD is a congenital heart defect, which is a defect from birth. Some people are born with holes already present in their heart. They may cause no symptoms and take years to diagnose.

VSD的罕见原因是胸部严重的钝创伤。例如，胸部直接，有力或反复创伤的严重车祸可能会导致VSD。

VSD通常与其他出生缺陷同时发生。许多增加其他先天缺陷风险的相同因素也会增加VSD的风险。

VSD的特定危险因素包括是亚洲遗产，具有先天性心脏病的家族史以及患有其他遗传疾病（例如唐氏综合症）。

Your doctor will listen to you or your baby’s heart through a stethoscope, take a complete medical history, and will perform several types of tests, including the following:

  • A transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) is a picture taken by numbing the throat and then sliding a thin tube containing an ultrasound device down the throat and into the esophagus, close to the heart.
  • An echocardiogram with an agitated saline bubble test is an ultrasound taken of the heart while saline bubbles are injected into the bloodstream.
  • An MRI involves the use of radio and magnetic waves to take images of the heart.

Wait-and-Watch Approach

如果VSD很小，并且不会引起任何症状，您的医生可能会建议您采用等待观察方法，以查看缺陷是否纠正了自己。您的医生将仔细监控您或您的宝宝的健康状况，以确保您的病情改善。

Surgery

在更严重的情况下，需要手术来修复损坏。大多数纠正VSD的手术都是心脏直视手术。您将被麻醉并放在心脏肺机上。您的外科医生会在您的胸部切开一个切口，并用针迹或补丁关闭VSD。

导管程序涉及将薄管或导管插入腹股沟的血管中，然后将其一直引导到心脏，以闭合VSD。

其他手术涉及这两个程序的组合。

If the VSD is large, you or your child may need medication to control symptoms before surgery. Medication may include digoxin, a drug made from the foxglove plant,Digitalis lanata，也可能是利尿剂。

在缺陷且没有症状的婴儿中，您的医生会监视您的孩子，以查看VSD是否自行关闭。他们还将确保症状不会出现。

手术的成功率很高，长期结局出色。恢复时间将取决于缺陷的大小以及是否还有其他健康或心脏问题。