Does ventricular septal defect affect growth and development?

Written by Di Zhi Yong

Cardiology

Updated on November 29, 2024

00:00

00:00

Because atrial septal defect is a type of congenital heart disease, if the patient's congenital heart disease is very severe, surgical treatment is needed.

Atrial septal defect does have some impact on growth and development, as congenital heart disease can cause infections or pulmonary inflammation in patients, which can lead to developmental delays in children.

Personally, I recommend that if it is a type of congenital heart disease, especially atrial septal defect, it is better to have surgery early, as this can avoid impacting growth and development. After the surgery, there are no sequelae, and it does not affect growth and development. However, not undergoing surgery can impact growth and development.

Other Voices

home-news-image

Written by Tang Li

Cardiology

59sec

home-news-image

What are the symptoms of an atrial septal defect?

Atrial septal defect is the most common congenital heart disease in adults, accounting for 20%-30% of adult congenital heart diseases, with a higher incidence in females than males, with a male to female ratio of about 1:1.5-3. There is also a familial tendency. Apart from larger defects, children with atrial septal defects generally show no symptoms. As they age, symptoms gradually appear, with exertional dyspnea being the main symptom, followed by supraventricular arrhythmias, especially atrial flutter and fibrillation, which exacerbate the symptoms. Some patients may develop right heart failure due to excessive right ventricular volume load. In the late stages, about 15% of patients develop severe pulmonary hypertension, resulting in a right-to-left shunt and cyanosis.

home-news-image

Written by Di Zhi Yong

Cardiology

55sec

home-news-image

Does an asymptomatic atrial septal defect require treatment?

If the patient has a ventricular septal defect and shows no obvious symptoms, it is possible to initially observe the condition. Firstly, this is a type of congenital heart disease, and it is recommended that the patient undergo a cardiac echocardiography to further confirm the diagnosis. If the defect is relatively large, surgery might sometimes be recommended. If the defect is not very large and the patient shows no obvious symptoms, there might be no need for immediate intervention, and regular monitoring would suffice. During this period, it is still important to monitor changes in the patient's blood pressure and heart rate. If the heart rate is too fast or the blood pressure is high, it might sometimes be necessary to actively treat these issues, possibly using medication to improve symptoms. In terms of treatment, surgery is generally advised as the main approach since medication often does not yield very effective results for this condition.

home-news-image

Written by Tang Li

Cardiology

51sec

home-news-image

Can atrial septal defect be cured?

Atrial septal defect is a common congenital heart disease. When the defect is small, some patients may heal naturally. In recent years, with the development of interventional technology for congenital heart diseases, most patients with atrial septal defects can be completely cured through interventional treatment, and some through surgical treatment. However, some patients have a large atrial septal defect with significant left-to-right shunting, leading to severe pulmonary arterial hypertension and right heart failure, which generally results in a poor prognosis. Some patients also have complications such as atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation. Certain patients may experience right heart failure due to excessive load on the right ventricle, and these patients often have a poor prognosis.

home-news-image

Written by Tang Li

Cardiology

56sec

home-news-image

Imaging manifestations of atrial septal defect

The imaging characteristics of ventricular septal defects are as follows: 1. Small defects: Normal cardiac silhouette, or left ventricular hypertrophy, with mild pulmonary congestion. 2. Medium defects: Left ventricular hypertrophy or biventricular hypertrophy, enlarged pulmonary artery segment, smaller aortic knob. 3. Large defects: Both ventricles enlarged, left atrium enlarged, prominent pulmonary artery segment, significant pulmonary congestion. When pulmonary hypertension with right-to-left shunting occurs, the pulmonary artery segment is markedly prominent, but the lung fields are clear, and the heart shadow is smaller than before.

home-news-image

Written by Tang Li

Cardiology

1min 13sec

home-news-image

How to treat atrial septal defect

Typical cardiac murmur ECG and X-ray findings may suggest the presence of an atrial septal defect. An echocardiogram can confirm the diagnosis, and it should be differentiated from conditions such as anomalous pulmonary venous return, pulmonary valve stenosis, and small ventricular septal defects. For the treatment of atrial septal defects, in adult patients, if echocardiographic evidence of increased right ventricular volume load is present, the defect should be closed as soon as possible. Treatment options include interventional and open-heart surgical procedures. Before the implementation of interventional surgeries, all cases of simple atrial septal defects that have caused hemodynamic changes, with signs of increased pulmonary blood flow, enlargement of the atria and ventricles, and corresponding ECG findings, should undergo surgical treatment. In older patients with severe pulmonary hypertension, surgical treatment should be approached with caution.