What will happen in the later stage if a ventricular septal defect is not operated on?

Written by Di Zhi Yong

Cardiology

Updated on August 31, 2024

00:00

00:00

Because a ventricular septal defect is a type of congenital heart disease, if surgery is not performed, it can sometimes lead to ischemic and hypoxic conditions in patients. During this period, active surgical treatment is still necessary, as this disease primarily relies on surgical intervention. Medical treatment, especially drug therapy, is not very effective, so it is recommended to prioritize immediate treatment with surgical assistance.

After surgery, it is still necessary to regularly check the heart with an echocardiogram, as this disease can produce murmurs in the precordial area. Patients may also experience recurring respiratory infections, especially cases of bronchitis and bronchopneumonia.

Other Voices

home-news-image

Written by Di Zhi Yong

Cardiology

43sec

home-news-image

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

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.

home-news-image

Written by Xie Zhi Hong

Cardiology

1min 6sec

home-news-image

Does a ventricular septal defect require open chest surgery?

Ventricular septal defects (VSD) can generally be treated through interventional procedures. Normally, defects with a diameter smaller than 3mm do not require surgical treatment. If the diameter is greater than 3mm but less than 10mm, interventional treatment is often feasible. Another scenario involves the subarterial type of defect, which generally cannot be repaired via a catheter-based approach and requires open-chest surgery instead. Additionally, for very large defects, repair must be conducted through open-chest surgery. Thus, for VSD, there are two main treatment options. Specific decisions require echocardiography to analyze the size and location of the septal defect to determine whether open chest surgery is necessary. Generally, most cases can be resolved through minimally invasive interventional methods.

home-news-image

Written by Zhang Zhi Gong

Cardiothoracic Surgery

1min 24sec

home-news-image

Does a ventricular septal defect affect development?

Does a ventricular septal defect affect development? For relatively small ventricular septal defects, such as those under five millimeters, the shunt from the left ventricle to the right ventricle is minimal, hence patients may not exhibit noticeable symptoms. However, if the defect is larger, for instance, over five millimeters, a large volume of blood will flow from the left ventricle into the right ventricular system. This causes congestion in the right ventricular system and the pulmonary circulation will be flooded with blood. As the saying goes, "flowing water does not rot, nor do door hinges become worm-eaten"; however, when a large amount of blood accumulates in the pulmonary vessels, patients are prone to recurrent respiratory infections and even congestive right heart failure, which then leads to feeding difficulties. Patients feel consistently uncomfortable and have difficulty breathing, so they may be reluctant to eat, especially in young children who need considerable effort to drink milk, which requires some breath-holding. At this time, patients experience feeding difficulties, which equates to developmental delays. Therefore, larger ventricular septal defects can affect a child's development. Small defects, such as those under three millimeters, might not affect development, but larger defects do impact development and thus require timely treatment.

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.

home-news-image

Written by Di Zhi Yong

Cardiology

45sec

home-news-image

Can girls with ventricular septal defect have children?

Because ventricular septal defect is a type of congenital heart disease, it is currently recommended that patients undergo surgical treatment. With active treatment, this disease can be cured. Once cured, the patient's symptoms will subside, and no murmur can be heard in the precordial area, and it is possible to choose to have children in this situation. If this condition is not dealt with promptly, it is not recommended to have children. This is because it can cause an excessive load on the heart, especially when the blood volume increases, leading to occurrences of ischemia and hypoxia, which are very dangerous. If treated, especially within a year after surgery, it is possible to consider having children, but there are certain risks.