If a ventricular septal defect is not surgically repaired, what will happen?

Written by Di Zhi Yong
Cardiology
Updated on September 22, 2024
00:00
00:00

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.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Di Zhi Yong
Cardiology
46sec home-news-image

Can ventricular septal defect avoid amniocentesis?

Because ventricular septal defect is a type of congenital heart disease, it is recommended that patients adopt a light diet and especially avoid spicy and stimulating foods due to the condition of ventricular septal defects. It is still recommended to pursue active and early surgical treatment to improve symptoms. If there is poor cardiac function, or symptoms of palpitations and chest tightness occur, amniocentesis should not be performed as it carries certain risks. However, for milder symptoms that can be timely controlled, amniocentesis and other tests may be considered, but it is also necessary to rule out other diseases. If the patient does not have any special diseases in the past, such as coronary heart disease or diabetes, the procedure can be handled.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Di Zhi Yong
Cardiology
33sec home-news-image

Does a ventricular septal defect easily cause choking on milk?

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.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Zhi Gong
Cardiothoracic Surgery
1min 25sec home-news-image

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

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.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Di Zhi Yong
Cardiology
47sec home-news-image

Does a ventricular septal defect easily cause hiccups in infants?

The relationship between the two is not very significant. A ventricular septal defect is a type of congenital disease, and currently, surgical treatment is recommended for patients, as medical treatment is not very effective and prone to relapse. For this type of congenital heart disease, it is best to first perform a cardiac echocardiography to make a clear diagnosis. In terms of treatment, early surgical intervention is suggested for patients to thoroughly improve symptoms such as palpitations, chest tightness, and difficulty in breathing. If an infant often experiences hiccupping, it could be a sign that the infant's stomach is not very mature, leading to excessive stomach acid, but this is not significantly related to the ventricular septal defect.

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.